Your Beautiful Self
by happy45
Summary: Elena and Stefan were madly in love in high school, but when Stefan took off, Elena's world was shattered. 11 years later, Stefan returns to town and Elena begins to question the love they had and whether she made good choices since as she flashes back to their time together. Can Stefan save Elena from herself and show her the love she deserves?
1. Just the Way You Look Tonight

_Hi everyone! Just some information to know before you start reading (though it's probably evident throughout) Elena is 27 in the story, Stefan is 29, she has two other siblings as well as Jeremy, older brother Robbie and younger sister Averie, her parents are alive, she's a lawyer and there is no supernatural stuff._

 _Here's a little introduction giving you an idea of what is to come... enjoy!_

* * *

Elena Browning stood at her kitchen sink, looking out of the window at nothing. She often found herself doing this, not out of bordem, but out of a sense of longing. What she was longing for? She wasn't quite sure. She was supposed to be living every girl's dream. The successful career as a lawyer in a big firm in Richmond, the handsome husband, the adorable son and the incredible house. What more could she want?

It was true beyond doubt that Clayton Browning III was handsome. He was a tall figure with brown hair, perfectly tousled and styled, deep brown eyes and a dimpled smile. With one smile, you would often find yourself doing anything for him. Clay came from a big banking family and he was next to completely take over once his father had retired. He was exceptionally wealthy, a major pull.

Elena couldn't deny what had drawn herself to Clay at first, and why she stuck by him. He was rich, handsome, charming and excellent in bed. He popped up in her life at a time when Elena was not looking for love, nor did she ever think she would look again, and he seemed like the perfect alternative. He would get the picture perfect marriage to the hot shot up and coming lawyer, and she would get the money benefits and she also had her son, Theo. He was 5 years old and she doted upon him, even when she had a cold exterior to the rest of the world.

Elena had always been driven by her emotions over logic ever since she was young. She tried to deny it, she tried to fight it, but they won every time. She met Clay soon after she decided to not let her emotions run her life. It was easier that way. Ever since... well, she never liked to talk about it. To talk about him. It never did her any good.

Elena shook her thoughts from her longing and finished doing the dishes in front of her. Clay had told her countless times to just hire a cleaner, but she refused when she could do such a simple task herself.

Elena was determined to enjoy herself this weekend. Her little brother Jeremy was getting married to his high school sweetheart Bonnie and she was thrilled for him. She hoped that his marriage was full of love and happiness. Something that she certainly did not have. She knew it was her own fault really. She shut herself off to any possibility of marrying someone for love. _But maybe if he hadn't left._ That was irrelevant now. She was here, she was getting by, this was what she chose.

Elena heard the front door open and close followed by the bold footsteps of Clay as he walked into the kitchen.

"Hey" He greeted as he picked up the mail on the counter to look through it. There was a brief time at the start of their marriage where they actually tried with one another. He would have greeted her with a kiss and sometimes even flowers. But those days were gone. Why should either of them care anymore?

"Hey" she replied quietly. "We should get ready to go, my parents are expecting us at the house in an hour. Don't forget to pack a suit." Elena said as she went to leave the kitchen to pack hers and Theo's things for the wedding.

Her parents wanted to make a weekend of it, have the whole family stay at the house on Friday night for the big day on Saturday, then a family breakfast on Sunday with Jeremy and Bonnie, Elena's older brother Robbie, her younger sister Averie and Elena, Clay and Theo.

"Why tonight? The wedding isn't until tomorrow." Clay asked.

"Clay, how many times have I told you that my parents want to make a weekend of it? I asked you to clear your schedule months ago and you said it was sorted." Elena said with a sigh.

"I'm sorry Elena, I just can't do a whole weekend, there's so much going on with the bank at the minute." Clay said.

"Clay, I know you don't get on with my family, but you could at least pretend to care once in a while." She said as she folded her arms.

"Yeah cause they really give a shit about me... look, I promise I will be there all day tomorrow for the wedding, I just can't do tonight. You and Theo should go though." Clay told her.

"Oh we will be." Elena said as she made a swift exit before she said anything she would regret.

She knew she shouldn't be surprised that Clay responded in this way, but a part of her still hoped that one day Clay might bother to take an interest in her life. She constantly reminded herself however that she promised herself she would put that side of her away. It wasn't worth the pain that came with it.

Elena made her way into the living room where her son was, playing contently with his cars, racing them around the room. She smiled down at the little boy. She never understood how two heartless people like herself and Clay could make such a perfectly happy and loving child.

"Hey honey, you ready to go to nana and grandpas?" Elena asked grabbing her son's attention.

"Yeah!" He said happily "Will I get to see Unkie Robbie and Unkie Jeremy and Auntie Ave?" Theo asked as he walked over to his mom.

"You sure will bud, why don't you go and get the toys you want to bring for the weekend?" she asked as she ran a hand through his hair.

"Ok!" He said as he power walked upstairs.

Elena sighed. While she was often miserable with Clay, she always found some of her light when she was with Theo and her family. She quickly packed up their things and left without a word of goodbye to Clay. Like he would notice anyway.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Elena and Theo had made it to the other side of Mystic Falls and to her parent's house. When they walked in the front door, there was a lively buzz to the place. Jeremy and Bonnie had decided to have their reception in the extensive backyard of the house and people were busy setting up and preparing. Elena smiled. She definitely didn't feel lonely when she walked into her childhood home.

"Elena, Theo!" she heard from the kitchen as she looked up and saw her mom walking towards them.

"Hi mom." Elena greeted with a hug.

"Hi nana" Theo said as she hugged him tightly, making him laugh.

"I'm glad you're here. Theo, Unkie Robbie is outside, why don't you go see what he's up to?" Miranda suggested.

"ok!" He said as he quickly ran out back.

"And you can help me and Averie finish the place settings." Miranda said as she linked arms with Elena and walked into the kitchen.

"Hey Elena" Averie greeted as she hugged her sister. Averie was the youngest of the Gilbert clan at 20 years old. She was feisty and girly and at times, brutally honest. She definitely kept them all on their toes.

"Avie... these look great." Elena said picking up the place cards as she sat at the island beside Averie.

"And they're about to look even better with your magic touch." Averie said handing her some stuff to work with.

"So... no Clay?" Miranda asked.

"He's busy with work and stuff but he'll be here tomorrow." Elena said, not looking her mother in the eye.

"I thought you said he cleared his schedule."

"I thought he had but I guess not." Elena said solemnly.

"Elena." Miranda said putting down what she was doing, causing Elena to finally look at her. "How long are you going to let this go on for?"

"Let what go on for?"

"This charade you have with Clay. He has sucked the life out of you Elena, look at yourself, you're so... sad. You're not the happy person that you used to be." Miranda said honestly.

"I made this choice mom. I have to live with it... and we have Theo to think about."

"Clay hasn't cared about Theo a day in his life, he's there for the pictures and that's it." Averie told her. Proof of the brutal honesty.

"I... I like my life. I have a good career, I make a difference in other people's lives, I have a wonderful son. What more do I need?" Elena asked.

"Love. You need love. It's not enough to just like your life Elena. You need to love it." Miranda said to her.

Before Elena could reply, the back door flung open and her elder brother Robbie walked in with Theo hitching a ride on his back.

"Hey, there's my favourite sister!" Robbie said dropping Theo on the sofa in the kitchen.

"Not much to contend with." Elena said standing up from the stool.

"Hey..." Averie said as she glared at Robbie and Elena.

Robbie bent down for a hug "How you doing?"

"I'm ok, excited for this wedding." Elena said.

"Yeah Jeremy is freaking out right now, I think he just realised that he's punching." Robbie joked.

"Jeremy and Bonnie are perfect for each other and you know it." Miranda said sending a warning glare towards Robbie.

"I know, I know, I'm only messing." Robbie said holding his hands up. Just then Jeremy and Grayson walked into the room. Jeremy looked fidgety and nervous, Robbie wasn't lying.

"Elena!" Grayson exclaimed when he saw his daughter.

"Hi daddy" she said as she hugged him. "Jer... how you feeling?" she said turning to her brother.

"Nervous as hell." Jeremy said with a nervous laugh; "Is it obvious?" he said looking around his family, who all immediately joined in choruses of 'no, of course not!' despite not meaning it one bit.

"I'm so glad I have all my kids under one roof again. Even if it for just the weekend." Miranda commented, wrapping her arms around Elena and Jeremy.

"And it's going to be one hell of a weekend." Robbie said. "Come on Theo, we got bad guys to shoot in the back garden." Robbie said, lifting up Theo and throwing him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes as he walked outside.

"You need any help upstairs with your bags honey?" Grayson asked Elena.

"No it's ok, I got it" she replied as she went into the hall.

She made her way upstairs towards her childhood bedroom. Not much had changed about it since she moved out for college when she was 18. Her cheerleading trophies still sat in pride of place on her shelf, she had photos of her family and her best friends Matt and Caroline all around the room.

She sat down at her dresser and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked tired and defeated. Her make up had worn off and her true colours were showing. She was normally so well put together during the day, ready to take on whatever came her way, but at night, she was quiet and introverted. She wasn't herself. She hadn't been for a long time.

She opened the drawer of the left hand side of the dresser and lifted out an old chocolate box. She opened it and pulled out a pile of papers and photographs. Photographs of her time with _him,_ cheesy romantic love letters from her time with _him._ She stared at them for a moment before quickly putting them away. She wasn't going to go there, she promised herself she would never go there again. He made his choice, and she as now paying the consequences.

* * *

The next day, the wedding had gone off without a hitch. Clay showed up like he promised, but was on his phone for most of the ceremony, and quickly took off when it was over to 'deal with some stuff.' Elena knew that was code for, 'I have someone waiting in a hotel room for me.' But she was too tired to fight. What was even the point?

Elena had watched proudly as Theo walked down the aisle as page boy, with a bright smile on his face. He looked adorable in his little tux. Bonnie also looked stunning in her dress and Jeremy looked like the happiest man alive. Memories of her own wedding came flooding back. It had been a very public affair, a Browning wedding, right in the centre of Richmond, high profile names attended, most of whom Elena had never even met. The ceremony was quick and routine and the reception was boring. But the after party... it was something else. Clay spent most of the night with his buddies completely drunk, but strangely enough, it was the only part of the day that Elena actually enjoyed. She spent the night sitting by the fountain of the hotel with her best friends Matt and Caroline, laughing and feeling something for the first time in a long time.

 _"I have another toast!" Caroline said as she stood on the edge of the fountain. "To Elena... and... Clay..." she said reluctantly; "may Clay's money bring you more comfort than we all know you will ever get from him." Caroline said before sitting down again._

 _"Here, here" Elena said taking a chug from her bottle of champagne._

 _"Remind me why you married this nark again?" Matt asked._

 _"Matt keep up!" Caroline said; "She promised herself that after St-"_

 _"Don't say his name!" Elena said suddenly "I don't want to be put in a worse mood than i already am."_

 _"ok, she promised herself that after a certain someone she wasn't going to allow herself to get hurt again. No time for emotions, only time for logic and reason." Caroline said, essentially reciting what Elena had told her._

 _"There's no space for logic and reason in a marriage." Matt said._

 _"I don't need a happy marriage, I need my job and my beautiful new house... I'll be fine!" Elena said, trying to convince herself more than anything._

 _"You can't run from your feelings forever Elena. I just hope when they catch up to you, it's not completely overwhelming." Matt told her._

 _Elena didn't reply but merely took a larger drink from the champagne bottle._

Elena snapped out of her thoughts when there was clapping among the people at the reception. Jeremy and Bonnie were getting up for their first dance and all eyes were on the happy couple. The band started to play _Just the Way You Look Tonight_ and Elena sighed. _That was their song. Of course they would end up playing their song, it was like the universe was sending her signs and she wanted to scream._ She started to back away from the dance floor but as she moved she tripped over the leg of a chair and went stumbling backwards. Luckily for her, someone was there to catch her when she fell.

"Geez, you're normally so careful Elena." the voice who caught her said and she froze with her back to him. It couldn't be. No way. It had been 11 years, there was no way he would show up on today of all days.

"Oh god..." she mumbled as she took a deep breath and turned around.

There he was. In the flesh. The boy who had left her behind. The boy who had simultaneously completed her world and shattered it. _Stefan Salvatore._ She gulped. He hadn't changed much over the years. If anything he was more attractive than he already was. Perfect hair, perfect muscles, the most perfect eyes. He was still his Greek God self and Elena hated him in that moment for it.

"Hello Elena." he said with a smile. Elena opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. "Looks like the band are playing our song. Good timing." he joked.

"You- you- Stefan- you're-" Elena mumbled out, feeling her cheeks going redder by the second.

Before she could stumble over her words any further, Robbie walked over and wrapped an arm around Stefan's shoulder. "Cat got your tongue Elena? Steffy's back!"

"I can see that" Elena said, proud of herself for forming a proper sentence.

"We need more shots." Robbie announced as he dragged Stefan away.

Elena stood there shocked, unsure what to do or say. A waiter walked past and she grabbed a glass of champagne and quickly downed it. Matt and Caroline saw her looking distressed and quickly walked over to her.

"Ok what was that for?" Caroline said taking the glass off her.

"Stefan Salvatore is here." Elena said, panicking a little bit.

"You're kidding." Caroline said. "Stefan Salvatore, Robbie's best friend, the one boy you actually-"

"Can we not go there please." Elena said cutting her off, not wanting to talk about whatever Stefan was to her.

Caroline nodded and quickly looked at Matt to say something to change the subject.

"So where is Clay tonight?" Matt asked, getting an eye roll from Caroline. Clay was really not a topic that would cheer Elena up.

"He bailed right after the ceremony, surprise, surprise." Elena said grabbing some more champagne and downing it.

"Screw him." Matt said suddenly. "Let's dance!"

Matt grabbed Elena and Caroline's hands and pulled them onto the dance floor. Elena did have fun that night, but her mind constantly wandered to Stefan, and she knew she was in for a bumpy ride from here on out.

* * *

 _NEXT CHAPTER- Elena wonders why Stefan has come back, while Clay appears to have something to hide. Elena has flash backs to her past with Stefan that leads her to make an important decision._

* * *

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	2. You Are Elena Miranda Gilbert

The next morning, Elena woke up with a thumping headache. _Damn champagne. It was her kyrptonite at weddings._ She stumbled out of bed, grabbed her dressing gown and made her way downstairs. She was immediately greeted by a smiley Averie, clearly not feeling the effects of the amount of alcohol consumed the previous night.

"Well, well, well, this is first, Elena Browning, not looking like something out of a Macy's catalogue." Averie teased.

"Averie, I will beat your skinny ass" Elena mumbled.

"Oo, big threats from the girl who can barely walk in a straight line. Mom made pancakes and... I would maybe run a brush through your hair before you go in there." Averie said disappearing upstairs.

Elena stared after Averie as she made her way into the kitchen; "Why would I do... that." she said, stopping in her tracks when she saw Stefan standing at the counter drinking a cup of coffee.

"Hey, you're up!" he said with a smile.

Elena just stared at him for a moment. She was like a deer caught in headlights. He was just standing there in a tshirt and sweats, being normal, and she couldn't be normal herself. She ran a hand through her hair, embarrassed that she came downstairs so dishelved. It wasn't about impressing him, but for a moment it was about showing him that her world kept on turning when he left, even if that wasn't true. She turned around when she heard Robbie come down the stairs, and she quickly went into the hall way and pulled Robbie aside.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Robbie asked.

"What the hell is he still doing here?" Elena asked through gritted teeth.

"Who?" Robbie asked, playing dumb.

"Who do you think?!" Elena said, hitting him. She was not in the mood this morning.

"Stefan? I knew you'd like that little surprise." Robbie said wiggling his eyebrows.

"This isn't funny Robbie, what is he doing here?"

"He's moving back to Mystic Falls, hopefully going into business with me." Robbie explained.

"He's going into business with you at the garage?" Elena asked to confirm. Robbie was the town mechanic and he always did good business, but last Elena had heard, Stefan had a pretty good life out in New York running his chain of cafes.

"Yep..." Robbie said slowly.

"Why the hell would he do that?"

"Because he wants to. What is with the nth degree, you've moved on right?" Robbie asked, wondering why Elena was so quizzative.

"Of course I have." Elena said crossing her arms and getting stiff.

"Then why is this such a big deal? Just talk to him like a normal person!" Robbie unhelpfully suggested.

"I have no desire to talk to him, what is he still doing in the house? Doesn't he have a big ass house on the edge of town to stay in?" Elena asked. The Salvatores were a very well off family and their house proved it, they had countless parties there when they were in high school.

"He needed a place to crash cause the party went on pretty late last night. Not that you would remember, you were really downing the champagne." Robbie said with a little laugh. He had always been a bit of a joker, never taking life too seriously.

"I was trying to forget that he was here." Elena mumbled.

"I don't remember the last time I ever saw you this flustered." Robbie said with a smirk. Elena always presented herself so well, even if it was a facade.

"I suppose you think this is hilarious" she said rolling her eyes.

"No, I'm just trying to figure you out. You're a mystery Elena Browning."

Elena stared at Robbie for a second. Even her own brother didn't know her. Did anyone really know her? She uncrossed her arms and swiftly moved past Robbie into the kitchen.

"Back again." Stefan commented as Elena sat opposite him at the island.

"Yep. So I hear you're planning on going into business with Robbie?" she asked as she lifted some pancakes.

"That's the plan" he replied as he leaned forward with his arms resting on the island.

"The cafes didn't work out for you?"

"I missed home, I've handed a lot of them over to friends to run. I can still deal with a few things here... and who knows, maybe I'll open up one here."

"Maybe"

"But for now, cars it is. You know how much Robbie and I used to love fixing up old cars when we were younger. Why not jump in again on that now?" he said.

"Inspiring" Elena said with a sarcastic smile.

Stefan smirked; "I'm going to put your sarcasm down as a symptom of your serious hangover."

"You're perceptive." Elena replied.

"Why thank you Elena." he said as she continued to eat her pancakes. Stefan didn't take her eyes off Elena as she ate. He wanted to take all of her in. It had been 11 years after all. She was still as beautiful as ever, if not a little tired looking. But there was something behind her eyes that was missing. He couldn't miss it. He knew her better than anyone else.

"What are you looking at?" Elena asked growing more and more frustrated by his presence.

"You. You haven't changed a bit." he said with a large smile. He was genuinely so happy to see her, even if she didn't feel the same.

"No. Stop that." Elena said standing from her stool.

"Stop what?"

"You do not get to just waltz on in here and smile like that, it's been 14 years, I have grown up and this charming thing that you've got going on, is not going to work on me anymore so you can quit it." She said.

"... alright." he said holding his hands up.

Before Elena could bite at him any further, Bonnie walked into the kitchen and smiled when she saw Stefan.

"I thought I heard talk that you were back" she said as she hugged him.

"Bonnie Bennett... now Gilbert. I believe congratulations are in order. You looked beautiful yesterday." Stefan told her.

"Thank you Stefan, I'm glad you could come. You look great!" she said with a smile.

"Well I definitely look a little more put together than Elena does this morning." he teased causing Elena to drop her fork loudly on her plate and glare at him.

Bonnie looked at Elena in a concerned yet confused manner; "Yeah I can see that... I'm sorry I didn't get speaking to you last night." Bonnie apologised.

"That's ok, you looked pretty wrapped up with your new husband." Stefan said causing Bonnie to smile.

"New husband... I just love hearing that." She said with a giggle. "I guess I just couldn't keep my hands off him." she added as Averie walked back into the kitchen.

Elena scrunched up her face; "too much information Bonnie."

"Just because you have no information of that kind because Clay's a douchebag." Averie pipped in.

"Averie." Elena said in a warning tone. She noticed Stefan had stiffened on the other side of the counter. Did he know she was married? Of course he did, there was no way Robbie would have left that out.

"Morning Steffy" Averie greeted. Any girl that Stefan came across had a crush on him and Averie was no exception.

"Good morning Averie" Stefan greeted handing her a cup of coffee.

"You're right this is a good morning." she said with a smirk.

"Dear God..." Elena mumbled as she continued to eat. Of course Averie would be all over his charm. "Don't you have anything better to do?" Elena asked her sister.

"Ok cruella... I think Theo needs a buddy to play with out back. You sticking around in Mystic Falls Stefan?" Averie asked.

"For as long as I can." he said with a smile directed at Elena.

"Good. See you around!" Averie said as she left the room.

"I think I'm going to go grab a shower." Stefan said finishing off his coffee. He wasn't really in the mood for anymore of Elena's snappy comments or awkward silences. "I'll see you guys later."

He was barely out of earshot when Elena said to Bonnie; "He is the worst."

"Green is not a good colour on you Elena" Bonnie commented.

"You think I'm jealous of Averie flirting with Stefan?" Elena asked in disbelief.

"All I know is that whenever his name is brought up you leave the room and now that he's here, there is basically steam coming out of your ears. Everyone knows something went down with you two Elena." Bonnie told her honestly.

"Stefan Salvatore means nothing to me. He never had and he never will, so I don't think there will be any need to speak of this again." Elena said as she lifted her cup of juice and left the kitchen.

Before she could make her way upstairs, Clay walked through the front door with a bunch of flowers.

"Morning honey!" he said as he handed Elena the flowers and kissed her on the cheek, much to her surprise.

"Clay... hi..." she said, unsure why he showed up this morning.

"You like the flowers?"

"Uh yeah they're beautiful... what did you do?" Elena asked, concerned over what he thought he needed forgiveness for.

"I haven't done anything, isn't a husband allowed to bring his wife flowers?" he asked with a little laugh.

"You haven't brought me flowers in years..." she mumbled.

"I know." he said with a sigh, he rested his hands on Elena's upper arms and began to speak again; "I haven't been the best husband lately, but I'm trying to be better and this is just a minor step to getting there... shall we get Theo and head home? We can spend the whole day together." he suggested.

Elena was skeptical but anything was better than staying around here with Stefan. "Uh... sure... I'll just go grab our things." she said, handing the flowers back to him and heading upstairs.

She stopped outside her bedroom door and sighed. Matt was right on her wedding night about her feelings all coming at once and overwhelming her. She felt like she was starting to slip underwater and she wouldn't be able to breathe for much longer. She thought back to the first time Stefan Salvatore made her feel something. The first time she knew there was something special about him.

 _**11 years ago.**_

 _A 16 year old Elena Gilbert sat on her bed writing in her journal. It had been a quiet Friday night and she was ready for bed, but it was clear that that wasn't going to happen when there was a knock at her door._

 _She opened the door and sighed when she saw her brother's best friend Stefan Salvatore standing on the other side, with a smirk on his face. He and Robbie had been best friends since they were 4 years old, and now they were seniors at Mystic Falls High and the star duo of the football team. They were loved by everyone and beyond charming, but Elena was determined not to fall for it._

 _"Stefan. I think you've got the wrong room" she said leaning against the door frame._

 _"No I was looking for you."_

 _Elena furrowed her eyebrows at him; "why?" she asked._

 _"You don't like me." he stated bluntly._

 _Elena folded her arms; "what?"_

 _"You don't like me and I can't work out why."_

 _"I can't say that I have any particular feelings towards you." she told him._

 _"I want to try something..." he said as he pulled his arm out from behind his back and held up a rose_

 _"A rose?" Elena asked._

 _"For a rose" he said with the biggest smirk._

 _"Oh dear God" Elena said as she rolled her eyes and walked back into her bedroom._

 _"Wow nothing?" he said following her in. "Most girls fall at my feet when I do that." he said confidently._

 _"Well I am definitely not most girls." she said turning round to look at him._

 _"Yeah I can see that now" He said quietly with a small, sincere smile._

 _"Your little trick didn't work, so you can go now" she said motioning towards the door._

 _"Ok, fine, I'll go, but one last thing... I'm going to figure you out."_

 _Elena stared at him for a moment before simply saying; "what?"_

 _"You're a mystery and I am going to figure you out." he said with certainty._

 _Elena laughed lightly before turning Stefan around and pushing him out the door._

 _"Yeah... good luck with that." she said with a smirk before closing the door in his face._

* * *

The following Monday, Elena walked into Caroline's office and sat down in the chair in front of her desk. She didn't say anything, rather, she just twiddled her thumbs and stared into space. Clay had spent the whole of Sunday with her and Theo. They went for ice cream, the park and then watched a movie together that night. He didn't look at his phone once. It was like an entirely different person and Elena couldn't work out what had changed. Had anything changed?

Caroline spent the next couple of minutes looking between Elena and her computer. She didn't know if she wanted to talk or if she was just going to sit there, so she waited for her to say something... until the silence became unbearable.

"You ok Elena?" Caroline finally asked.

"What do you think my life would look like without Clay?" she asked, not looking Caroline in the eye.

"Honestly? Exactly what it looks like now. It's not like he's ever around to make it any different." Caroline replied.

"He bought me flowers yesterday. He bought me flowers and he spent the whole day with me and Theo. I dont remember the last time we ever did that." Elena told her friend.

"You think he's trying to make up for something?" Caroline asked.

"That's what I thought but I don't know. Maybe he just felt bad about not being around..." Elena said. She couldn't believe she was giving Clay the benefit of the doubt, even after all he _hadn't_ done.

"I don't know if you can grow a heart that fast." Caroline said bitterly.

"Probably not"

Caroline lent forward in her chair, worried about what she was going to say next'; "These questions wouldn't have anything to do with Stefan coming back into town would it?" she asked carefully.

"Stefan? God no... no way." Elena said stumbling over her words.

"You were pretty crazy about him." Caroline reminded her.

"I was 16, I was driven by hormones back then. He was no good for me." Elena said trying so hard to discredit what she knew in her heart was pure and real love.

"Maybe" Caroline said. "Doesn't mean that he wouldn't be any good for you now."

"How did you know that Matt was the one?" she asked her friend. She and Matt had been married for 5 years now and seemed more and more in love everyday. She loved that her friends had that, but she often found herself a little jealous. Even if the jealousy was something she could have found a solution for, instead of just shutting herself off to the world.

"Because he loves me despite all of my many flaws. He let me be me." Caroline answered, smiling at the thought of her Matt.

"Hm... I don't even know if Clay knows the real me..." Elena mumbled looking down at her thumbs.

"Then show him." Caroline said firmly. If Elena showed Clay the real her and he didn't show an interest, then maybe Elena would realise it was time to cut her losses.

Elena stood from her chair and walked out the door towards her office. She'd only ever shown her real self to one other person. Well, more like one other person took the time to figure her out.

 _11 years ago_

 _Elena sat on the porch swing reading. She was a bit of a book worm and loved curling up on the porch swing every night with a blanket and a good book in her hand. It was the simple things in life that she realised she needed to enjoy the most._

 _"I think I know you now." a voice said. Elena was startled and jumped slightly when she heard the voice, before realising it was Stefan._

 _He was leaning aganist one of the beams of the house with his hands in his pockets and one foot crossed across the other. Elena stumbled over what to say next because he did look like the Greek God everyone said he was._

 _"Wha- what?" she eventually managed to get out._

 _"I have spent, all of summer, trying to work you out."_

 _"This is going to be good." Elena said closing over her book and leaning back on the swing._

 _"And I have come to some conclusions." He said with certainty._

 _"Please, enlighten me."_

 _"You are Elena Miranda Gilbert. You are number 2 of 4 kids, the first girl, pride and joy of your parents, therefore, a little spoilt..." he said as he began to pace back inforth infront of her._

 _"I am not spoilt!" she protested._

 _He raised a hand; "Let me finish... you are incredibly smart. You love to read, your favourite book is The Great Gatsby, a tragic tale on the dangers of love. You love to argue, which is why you are going to become a lawyer and when you get really passionate about something, your voice becomes a little raised and your eyes nearly pop out of their sockets, which is good because a lawyer really needs to believe what they're fighting for." he said._

 _Elena remained silent, she didn't really know what she could have said anyway._

 _"Let's see what else... you have a love for football, but you'll never tell Robbie that because he will tease you endlessly and you would do anything not to be like him." he said as he sat down beside her and put arm along the back of the swing and turning his body in her direction. Elena was sure that if he got any closer he would be able to hear her heart beating out of her chest._

 _"You think that emotions can hinder people's better judgement so you tend to detach yourself from situations, even though you feel more deeply than anyone I think I have ever met. You wish you were logical but you are guided by emotions and you have that facade that makes people think the worst of you but only the ones who really care, see straight through that."_

 _Elena could feel the tears forming in her eyes. He was hitting a soft spot, but she didn't want him to stop, she never wanted him to stop. No one had ever tried to get to know her like this before._

 _"You try to be poised and well presented but you love just curling up in a blanket in your comfiest clothes with your hair in a ponytail, not caring what anyone else thinks. You're dying to know what love is like..." he said moving closer towards her and speaking in a quiet tone; "you're dying to have a real kiss, not the playground 'my friend dared me to kiss' or the kiss you endure because of spin the bottle, but a real and meaningful kiss." he said._

 _"Are- are you done yet?" Elena asked quietly with a gulp as she quickly broke his gaze and stood up with her arms crossed._

 _He followed her actions and too stood up, standing toe to toe with her, staring right into her eyes._

 _"Just one last thing. You're beautiful. A beautiful soul who feels restricted by what mommy and daddy have planned for you. A beautiful mind that doesn't know how to express itself. A beautiful spirit who doesn't know how to be free because you're afraid of what people will think of you. You're beautiful."_

 _"You think you've got me all figured out huh?" she said in a whisper._

 _"I think I took a pretty good stab at it yeah." he said with a light laugh. "If you can find someone in your life who takes the time to get to know you like that, then you're on to something pretty great." he said._

 _Elena did say anything. She just stared into his eyes and he stared right back. Both of their hearts were pounding and they both knew it. This was a moment like no other and neither really knew what to do with it. Even Stefan, the most charming guy in school._

 _Elena was the first to make a move backwards, but Stefan grabbed onto her hand then pulled her back._

 _"What are you doing?" she asked, only kissing distance from the boy she swore she would never fall for._

 _"Giving you your first meaningful kiss." he said as he moved his hands to her face, lent in and kissed her tenderly. It was sweet and it was perfect and it was like nothing either of them had ever felt before._

 _After a few seconds he pulled away and they rested their foreheads against each other._

 _"Goodnight Elena." he whispered before make a swift move down the porch steps and out of sight._

* * *

Meanwhile at Robbie's garage, Robbie and Stefan were finishing up the paperwork to make Stefan an official partner. Growing up, the boys loved fixing up cars and did so whenever they got the chance. Stefan even managed to restore an old Mustang that he drove everywhere in. When Stefan called Robbie up telling him that he was coming back to town, Robbie was all too keen that they go into business together, and Stefan wasn't about to say no to his best friend.

"andddd... that's the last one!" Robbie said as he set his pen down. "Pleasure doing business with you bro." he said as the friends shook hands. "Now come check out this motor, it's been busting my ass all week." he said as they stood up and went into the garage.

Robbie lifted the hood of the car and the two began to work on it in a comfortable silence, but Stefan clearly had something on his mind.

"So uh... Elena's doing well." Stefan said, not even knowing if that was true, he just wanted to spark conversation.

"Yeah she's doing ok. Apart from having an asshole for a husband." Robbie said with a shrug. He knew that something went down with Stefan and Elena in high school, is was his best friend and his sister, but he didn't know a whole lot and he never wanted to pry when he saw how broken Elena was when Stefan left.

"Yeah what's his deal? I didn't see him at the wedding." Stefan commented.

"He was here, spent most of his time on his phone and he didn't stay for the reception, but he showed his face which is a miracle in itself. He's from a big banking family, the Brownings?" Robbie explained.

"Damn, big name." Stefan said knowing exactly who they were.

"Big reputation. Elena's basically his trophy wife, she smiles and looks pretty for him, then he gives her nothing in return." Robbie explained, he never hid how he felt about Clay.

"Why marry him then?"

"I don't know... something in Elena... it changed after you left. No one's really been able to get through to her since." Robbie said honestly.

"Right..." Stefan said looking at his feet.

"You don't still have feelings for her do you?" Robbie asked.

"I think a part of me will always have feelings for Elena... but what we had is in the past. It's been 11 years, we've moved on." Stefan replied.

"Ok... you know I think she's secretly glad that you're back. She'd never admit that because that would involve putting her pride aside but it's the truth."

Stefan smirked; "she wouldn't be Elena if she didn't greet me with a certain degree of hostility."

Stefan wasn't really lying when he said he would always have feelings for Elena. The only truth he bent was the feelings part. He would always love Elena, and that was a hell of a lot more than some 'feelings.' But he screwed up. He left. The consequences were on him and he wasn't about to screw up her life anymore than he already had. Despite how much he wanted to rescue her from it all.

That night, Elena sat in her living room with a glass of wine, waiting for Clay to come home. To say she had an unproductive day was an understatement. Stefan's words to her all those years ago had been running through her mind all day. Clay's seemingly loving behaviour had been running through her mind all day. Elena was discerning. She was perceptive. She knew when something was up, she knew when she was being played.

Clay eventually made his way through the front door and walked into the living room, surprised to see Elena still awake.

"Hey..." he cautiously greeted; "it's late, what are you still doing up?"

"Just thinking" Elena replied, staring in front of her and not at Clay.

"That's a dangerous idea" Clay joked.

"Do you know what my favourite book is?" she asked.

"What?" Clay replied, confused as to why that was relevant to the moment.

"My favourite book, do you know what it is?" Elena asked, finally turning to look at Clay.

"Oh uh... you read a lot of stuff, could be anything." he replied with a shrug.

"The Great Gatsby... a tragic tale on the dangers of love... I've read it so many times I could recite the whole thing." she said putting her wine glass down and standing up.

"Why are you asking me that?"

"I'm a curiosity. A mystery... my own brother even said that to me yesterday." Elena said with a scoff. She was ashamed that she didn't even let her family really know her. "If I'm such a curiosity, shouldn't the people who are supposed to love me want to know me? You don't even know my favourite book." she said with a little disbelief in her voice. Was she really choosing this moment to stand up to Clay?

"Elena..."

"On Saturday night, when you left the wedding, where did you go?" Elena asked, though she was pretty sure she knew the answer.

"Elen-"

"Where did you go?" She asked slower as she walked closer towards him. "Don't lie to me and tell me you came here or you went to the office, you may not know me Clay but I know you and I know when you are lying to me." she said forcefully.

Elena softened her stance when it looked like Clay wasn't keen to give up any information. She thought she would edge the truth on herself; "this isn't really a where question but more of a who... did you go and see."

Clay knew that he was toast. He knew she knew the truth and lying wasn't going to save his skin. She had probably known for a long time but chose not to say anything because that's what Elena does. She let's any emotional turmoil slip right on by in the hopes of avoiding anything painful and tragic. But Matt was right, it would all catch up to her, and at this moment, it felt like that time was now.

"Kathy Kirk." Clay finally said in a quiet voice.

Kathy Kirk. One of the board members of Browning Bank. Elena knew she always flirted with Clay, but she blocked out any possibility that it could have been something more, despite her better judgement.

"Kathy Kirk..." Elena repeated in a whisper. "She was on my list of who it could have been." she confessed. "Maybe it is the best thing a girl could be in this world... a beautiful little fool..." Elena said thinking to a pivotal moment in her favourite book. But she wasn't Daisy. She wasn't weak. She would never let anyone humiliate her or embarrass her. Not after Stefan. She swore never again.

"But I am not that girl." Elena said surely and confidently as she straightened her stance and looked Clay dead in the eye.

"Elena I'm sorry" Clay began.

Elena scoffed; "You're not sorry. If you were sorry you wouldn't have kept doing it. You think you can keep me quiet, dull my suspicions with flowers and day with Theo? You really do not know me." Elena said as Clay began to look small to her. "I have been letting you get away with this for years when it's just not who I am. I'm stronger than this, I am better than this! I deserve to be loved and known!"

Elena didn't know what came over her in that moment, but she felt strong for the first time in a long time. She felt powerful, she felt in control, she felt like this was her chance to break free and make something of herself, be the girl she once knew.

"Why are you choosing today to do this? Huh? Why today?" Clay shot back.

Elena smiled. It clicked with her what sparked her feelings of self worth. "Someone inspired me to... be my beautiful self 11 years ago... it's about time I listened and it's about time you listen to me now you cheating piece of shit. I'm divorcing you and I am taking you for every dime that you are worth." she said as she walked straight past him with a powerful stride.

The night that Stefan stole a kiss from her didn't just end with that. It ended with her taking a stand for herself like she did tonight, but taking a stand also allowed her to feel something wonderful and special.

 _11 years ago_

 _Elena ran up the Salvatore drive in the pouring rain and banged on Stefan's door. It didn't take her more than 5 minutes after Stefan had kissed her to get in her car and march right round to his house to give her a piece of his mind. Stefan opened the door to her standing there, drenched, but she showed no interest in coming inside, rather she backed further into the rain, as if it was some sort of relief for her._

 _"Elena, what are you-"_

 _"You don't get to do that!" she shouted over the sound of the heavy downpour._

 _"Do what?"_

 _"You don't get to say all that stuff about me and then steal a kiss from me, that's not fair!"_

 _"I didn't steal anything from you" Stefan shouted back._

 _"Yes you did! You used your stupid charm and you let me think you were this wonderful guy but you're not! You're reckless, you're dangerous, you are not the kind of guy that I should want!" she said, pacing outside, not really understanding her own feelings in that moment._

 _This was her brother's best friend, she shouldn't feel anything for him, she never had until recently, why was this happening? There had to be a catch, she just knew there had to be._

 _Stefan smirked his famous smirk and folded his arms; "you want me?"_

 _"Oh my God you are so smug you are completely missing the point!" Elena said throwing her arms out wide._

 _"No, you are missing the point. I made you feel things you have never allowed yourself to feel, you say that I am the opposite of what you need, I am exactly what you need. You don't have to pretend to be so perfect and together all the damn time!"_

 _"God, you make me so mad, you're impossible!" Elena said running a hand through her wet hair._

 _"Well you're a pain in the ass yet I keep wanting more of you, this isn't all about you." Stefan replied._

 _"I'm a pain in the ass? Have you even met you?!" Elena said with wide eyes. "Agh!" she said growing too frustrated as she turned and walked away, but Stefan was not going to let her go that easily._

 _"Elena come back!" he said quickly following her out into the storm._

 _"Just- leave me alone Stefan, I don't want to hear anymore of your charming words. You charm all the girls in school, I'm probably just next on your list."_

 _"Elena no... no, you're different."_

 _"You know what? I don't need someone telling me who I am. No one else can dictate that to me." Elena said defiantely as she folded her arms._

 _"I know that, but you need to know that it's ok to let someone know you. Even someone as reckless and as impossible as me." Stefan said using Elena's words. "you don't need to be so damn stubborn all the time." he said shaking some of the water out of his hair._

 _"Would you just kiss me already?" Elena said in a whisper._

 _Stefan just stared at her for a second, she was so beautiful standing there completely drenched and vulnerable. She was letting him in, she was letting him know her and to hell if he would throw that chance away. He quickly moved forward and pulled her in to the most beautiful kiss which she eagerly returned. It was the perfect kiss. It was the right kiss. He lifted her up princess style and carried her back inside, determine to show her how much she deserved to be loved._


	3. You're Free

Elena lay in her bed in her family home the next morning staring straight at the ceiling. She couldn't quite work out where she got the courage to do what she did last night, and to say she was panicking would be an understatement.

Bonnie and Caroline stood at the end of her bed unsure what to do. Miranda had called them to tell them what happened and since they arrived, Elena hadn't said anything. Not even a hello.

"Is she ok?" Bonnie asked. "Does she even know we're here?" she asked further, concerned at the silence and stillness.

"She's in an emotional state not deaf." Caroline replied.

"Well what do we do? We can't just stare at her all day..."

"That's not going to happen because we have to work" Caroline said, carefully thinking what their next move should be.

At that moment, Averie ran into the room; "Is it true? Did she really sack off Clay?" she asked bluntly.

"Averie, a little sensitivity wouldn't go amiss right about now." Caroline said with widened eyes.

"Right..." Averie said slowly. "How you doing Elena?" she asked her sister.

"What the hell am I doing?" Elena mumbled much to their surprise. They all walked closer towards her.

"What?" Bonnie asked as she sat on the edge of their bed.

"Why the hell did I think divorcing Clay would make everything better?! This is just going to throw everything into turmoil, this is so stupid, I need to call him." she said as she sat up to reach for her phone.

"Grab her phone!" Caroline shouted as Averie ran over the bed and grabbed it from the nightstand before Elena could.

"Averie give me my phone!" Elena said through her teeth.

"No way in in hell." Averie said putting it in her bra.

"I messed up, I need to fix this!"

"Elena you have done nothing wrong" Caroline said sitting beside her and grabbing her hands; "Clay began ruining your life from he moment you said I do and we are not letting that happen anymore."

"I'm pretty sure I ruined things myself..." Elena mumbled; "What about my house? Theo? God, THeo, what am I doing to him?! Oh god, oh god, oh god..." Elena said panicking again as she lay back in bed and put a pillow over her face.

"Bonnie go get Matt, he's making tea downstairs." Caroline said as Bonnie quickly left the room.

Elena moved the pillow from her face and whispered; "he's going to destroy me. I shouldn't have threatened to take him for everything he's worth, I should have been nice about it!"

"You were far nicer than I would have been, I would have cut off his balls then taken him for every dime he's worth." Averie said, folding her arms in defiance.

"You know whose fault it is? Stefan frickin' Salvatore. He shows up here all charming and smug, planting ideas in my head..." Elena said, now reaching the anger stage of her denial.

"Elena you haven't seen him since the wedding were you basically shunned him." Caroline reminded her as Matt and Bonnie walked into the room.

"Not the wedding, him coming back reminded me of things he said when we were kids! Stupid Stefan and his stupid 'I'm going to figure you out...'" Elena said as she started to ramble.

"Elena..." Matt began as he walked forward.

"... and the stupid rose and the stupid rain..."

"Elena!" Matt shouted, finally getting her attention. "Calm down."

"How can I be calm, I'm only 27 and I'm getting a divorce!" Elena reminded them all. This was never how she saw her life going.

"This is the best thing that could have happened to you. Clay was no good for you... you're free." Matt said.

Elena looked at the four people in her room. They were really fighting her in this moment, but what had she ever done for them? And it wasn't like she hadn't caused this all herself. She never should have married Clay in the first place.

Elena shook herself from her thoughts and said; "I'm not free... until we both sign on the dotted line."

* * *

Meanwhile at the garage, Stefan was working on one of the cars. He would be lying to himself if he said he hadn't thought about Elena and about their past everyday since he got back, but he knew he had to keep his distance, he knew he screwed up the best thing that ever happened to him and this was the right thing to do.

Robbie walked into the garage and sighed.

"Hey, what's up?" Stefan asked.

"Just got off the phone with Caroline. Elena's having a bit of a meltdown." Robbie explained as he picked up some tools to help.

Stefan stood up straight; "Is she ok?" he asked as coolly as he could.

"She's divorcing Clay. Went a bit crazy on him last night, threatened to ruin him and now she's freaking out because she thought she should have been nicer about it." Robbie said with a bitterness in his voice. Like Averie, Robbie would have done a lot worse.

"She's divorcing Clay?" Stefan asked again, surprised at the development.

"Yep... thank God. The guy chipped away at her, she was becoming a shadow of herself." Robbie said shaking his head, hating the girl his sister had become, in his eyes, through little fault of his own. "He is the biggest douche bag I have ever met."

"I can't believe she's divorcing him..." Stefan mumbled.

"She blames you, you know." Robbie said, referring to what Caroline had told her Elena had ranted about.

"Me? What do I have to do with any of this? I've barely spoken to her since I got back!" Stefan said in disbelief.

"She thinks that you coming back sparked something in her, reminded her that she deserves to be known or something and that's why she went off at Clay." Robbie explained as best he could, not really understanding the context.

But it made perfect sense to Stefan. He remembered the night he sat on the Gilbert porch telling Elena everything about her like it was yesterday. He remembered their kiss as the most beautiful kiss he ever had.

Stefan cleared his throat and decided to play it cool. "She does deserve to be known. Surely it's a good thing that she is dumping this loser right?"

"Oh 100%, but it's going to take her a while to realise that..." Robbie said standing up and staring at Stefan. A little part of him hated Stefan for leaving like he did, for hurting Elena like he did, but he was his best friend and he made Elena feel more alive than she ever had, which was the light he knew Elena needed again. "How does it feel?" Robbie asked.

"How does what feel?" Stefan replied.

"Knowing that you're the only person who has ever had a proper hold on Elena? It's never been done, except by you. When she was 16, you were the reason she came home in either a good or a bad mood, even if yuo had barely spoken to her that day." Robbie said, remembering how Stefan was like the fuel to her fire or the person who calmed her down. They fought like hell but their love for each other was stronger than any he had ever seen, especially for two teenagers.

Stefan gulped. He never wanted to have this conversation with Robbie. He knew he would be so angry at him for going behind his back. For hurting his sister.

"How much do you know about us?" Stefan asked.

"Enough to know that you broke her." Robbie replied honestly.

"If I stayed she..." Stefan said digging round for excuses.

"She would have had everything she wanted." Robbie said, not allowing Stefan to try and brush this under the rug. You thought you were doing good by her, but you just pushed her into some man's arms who didn't even love her."

"We were never really together..." Stefan said, lying to himself. While they were never open with other people how they felt about each other, they were very much a couple.

"You can pretend all you want that you weren't crazy about each other and you can pretend that you are not the reason she is the way that she is, but we both know that's not true." Robbie replied.

"I didn't come back here to stir up stuff with her family." Stefan said quietly.

"I know... maybe you coming back was the best thing that ever happened to her." Robbie said, giving Stefan a bit of hope that he knew they both needed.

* * *

Elena paced the kitchen floor as Matt sat at the counter waiting to discuss their next move. Matt was the best divorce lawyer around and he was determined to come through for Elena. But, he was struggling to get anything out of Elena however because she wouldn't sit down.

"Could you stop pacing and sit down and talk to me?" Matt asked.

"He wouldn't take Theo from me would he?" Elena asked, growing more and more concerned for her son.

"No judge in their right mind would said with Clay over you on Theo. Plus, I don't think Clay would want him either." Matt replied.

Elena stopped pacing and lent her hands on the island to steady herself; "If I said I would take him for everything he's worth, he would do anything to get back at me. He's got enough money and charm to bribe a judge as well, I am so screwed." she said laying her head down on the island.

"Elena, I am the top divorce lawyer in Richmond, you will be fine." Matt ensured.

"Do you really think I'm doing the right thing?" Elena asked quietly.

"Of course you're doing the right thing, you shouldn't have even married him in the first place."

"Well it's a little late for that Matt!" Elena snapped back. She felt that she was snapping at herself more for making the mistake of marrying him in the first place.

Matt sighed; "I'm sorry Elena, I didn't mean to freak you out more... you did something amazing last night. Clay... he's a bully and a master manipulator and he's been chipping away at you for years, moulding you into this submissive wife that he doesn't have to worry about as he goes off and does God knows what. Last night, you were the real Elena. You can't shy away now, not when you're so close to getting your life back."

Elena nodded. Matt was right. Clay had manipulated her into silence for years. Into letting him do whatever the hell he wanted, into letting her feel so unloved.

"You're right... he made me miserable. No more." She said defiantly and Matt immediately saw the strength behind her eyes. The strength that Elena Gilbert had always been famous for.

Matt smiled, but their moods quickly fell when his phone rang and the caller ID showed Clay Browning.

"It's Clay..." Matt said looking at Elena.

"Why is he ringing you?"

"He must know I'm your lawyer." He said as he hit answer. "Clay. What can I do for you?"

"Matt, I was just calling to discuss the little... predicament Elena and I are in." Clay said with a smuggness in his voice. Matt knew in that moment he was ready to do anything he could to ruin Elena's world and save his own skin.

"Predicament? I would call it what it is Clay. You're in the proceedings of a divorce." Matt replied as Elena stood infront him look terrified.

"Come on Matt, you know that's never going to happen." Clay said with a little chuckle.

Matt froze and sat up straighter; "what?"

"What's he saying?" Elena jumped in.

Clay continued as Matt put him on speaker phone and mouthed to Elena not to say anything; "You and I both know Elena isn't strong enough to go through with this. Not when she has such a comfortable life. She made some big threats last night, but that's all they were. Threats. She'll come crawling back once she realises what she's missing."

Matt and Elena looked at each other in shock at Clay's arrogance. Matt could see the rage boiling inside of Elena, so he quickly took the phone of speaker, took a deep breath and shot back at Clay; "See Clay... that's the problem. You think you know Elena when you don't. She is so much stronger than you are and she will fight you for what is rightfully hers. She is done being your little pawn who you turn to when it suits you best. She is better than that. So prepare for the worst... cause you're going to be ruined when we are finished with you."

And with that, he hang up.

Elena and Matt stared at each other in silence for a moment, unsure what to say. They had both found a lot of strength in that moment, and even more certainty in what they were fighting for.

"This is really happening." Elena said in a whisper.

"Hell yeah it is."

* * *

That night, Elena was tucking Theo into bed in Jeremy's old room for the night. As soon as she stood up to Clay the night before, she was straight round to her parents house. She couldn't stand to be in that cold house with him anymore.

As she made sure Theo was nice and snug and his night light was on, his soft voice spoke up; "Mommy?"

"Yeah buddy?"

"Are you and daddy breaking up?" he asked

"Uh.." Elena said, not really sure what to tell her son. She knew she would have to have this conversation with him soon, but she wasn't really prepared for it happening right now.

"Cause I know you had a big fight and now we're living at nana and grandpa's so..." Theo said. For only 5 years old, he was very intuative and very smart.

"Theo... I don't really know what's going to happen. But no matter what, we're still going to love so much ok?" Elena said. She wasn't lying, she didn't know how the divorce was going to go and she didn't want to scare or worry Theo more than she had to.

"Ok... I think you're better without daddy." he replied honestly.

Elena was silent for a moment before whispering; "really?" she couldn't believe her little boy had even picked up on it.

"Yeah, he only lets you down and makes you sad." He replied.

Elena smiled softly at him before kissing him on the head and leaving the room. She hated that her son couldn't see his parents love each other. He deserved the best family possible, and in that moment she was thankful for the love that he did witness in his life. His grandparents, Jeremy and Bonnie, Matt and Caroline.

Elena walked into her room and sighed as she closed the door behind her. She pulled back the covers to climb into her own bed, but before she could there was a knock from the balcony doors. She froze for a second before cautiously going over to them and pealing back the curtains, only to be surprised by her late night visitor- Stefan.

She rolled her eyes and opened the door and he leaned against the door frame.

"What are you 15?" She asked at his immature attempt to see her. He used to climb onto her balcony every Friday night when they were together, it was a signature move in their relationship. Even if they had been fighting, she could guarantee that he would climb up to her balcony and come lie beside her, sometimes not even saying a word. They were both too stubborn for their own good.

"Just giving you a blast from the past." Stefan replied.

"I have had enough blasts from the past to last me a good while thanks..." she said referring to the moments that triggered her to end it with Clay.

"Yeah, I hear you blame me for you divorce." Stefan said crossing his arms.

Elena just looked at him for a moment before saying "... I was freaking out, of course I don't actually blame you..."

"Right." Stefan replied simply.

"You don't believe me?" Elena asked raising her eyebrows.

"I don't know, seems awfully convenient that you would end it with Clay just as I arrive back in town." he said with a shrug.

Elena scoffed and shook her head; "I forgot how arrogant you were. Do you seriously think that I ended it with Clay for you? Maybe if your head wasn't so far up your own ass you would know that Clay is a bastard and I ended it for me!"

"You know why I think you blame me?" Stefan said, disregarding what she just said.

Elena sighed before saying in an exacerbated tone; "enlighten me"

"Because I reminded you of how good we were together. I reminded you of how someone should feel in a relationship, and you were not getting that from Clay." he stated.

Elena knew that was true, but she was never going to admit that. "We were never really together, it was all a big secret."

"We were as good as. It was real to us."

"If we were as good as then you wouldn't have left me in the middle of the night with a crappy letter saying you'd gone to New York and you weren't coming back." Elena bit back. There is was. The elephant in the room had finally been addressed. Elena had never confronted Stefan about what happened. She had never seen him to, but now seemed as good a time as any.

Stefan nodded; "I will admit that I was dumb. I was a coward, I thought I was doing if you, I thought you were better off without me but... I was selfish and I was wrong." he admitted. "I shouldn't have made that decision for you."

"You broke me Stefan" Elena said with tears glistening in her eyes. "I- I hate to admit it but I was never the same when you left. I recoiled into myself, I let Clay treat me like crap and I honestly don't really know why. I thought I had everything with you... but it was all a lie."

Stefan stepped closer towards her, wanting nothing more than to wrap his arms around her, but he kept his distance. Stepping closer was all he could do. "We did have everything. I loved you, God you were a pain in the ass but I loved you." he said with a little laugh before finishing with; "always have always will."

Elena shook her head; "you don't get to say that to me... not when you've been gone for 11 years! I didn't hear from you once, I got stupid updates from Robbie and I had to pretend that it meant nothing to me!"

"I dialled your number I don't know how many times... but when you picked up I just couldn't find anything to say... it was too damn hard." he confessed.

Elena gulped; "... that was you down the phone?" she asked, remembered someone calling her but not saying anything so many times.

"Yeah... the creepy guy breathing down the phone was me..." Stefan said looking at his feet.

"Jeremy almost had me convinced I had a stalker." Elena said with a light laugh.

"Wouldn't be like Jeremy to freak you out." Stefan said, laughing a little back.

"Right..." Elena mumbled as she softened her stance towards him.

"Can we not fight anymore? I'm sick of us fighting." Stefan asked.

Elena smirked; "but all of our best moments come from fights."

Stefan smirked back; "I guess it's just the passion inside of us."

Elena nodded before whispering; "... I really missed you."

Stefan smiled; "I really missed you too pretty girl."

He finally walked closer towards her and pulled her into a hug. Elena felt so safe in his arms and Stefan felt more at home than he ever had. They pulled away and rested their foreheads against each others. Stefan bent down and gave her a light kiss, before swiftly leaving out the balcony doors.


	4. Cabo

A week or so later, things had settled down with Elena. Well, as much as they can settle down when you're in the middle of a divorce. Both she and Stefan were happy that they had made amends and were agreeing to try and be friends, however difficult that may prove to be.

Elena had heard talk that Stefan was doing some renovations to the old Salvatore Boarding House and decided that this was the perfect opportunity to extend an olive branch and she made the trip to his house to see him before work.

Before she could knock on the door, it flung open to reveal a girl. She was the exact opposite to Elena looks wise, platinum blonde hair, fair skin and striking blue eyes.

"Oh... hi" Elena said nervously.

"Hi" the girl replied with a smile. "Ines" she introduced.

"I'm Elena"

"Oh you're Elena..." Ines said with a smirk as she eyed her up and down.

Elena furrowed her eyebrows; "I'm sorry do we-"

"No you don't know me." Ines interrupted; "but I have heard a lot about you!" she said. Clearly Stefan liked to chat with his bed buddies. "Anyway I have to run, Stefan's round the back working on the shed, toodles!" she said before quickly disappearing.

Elena stood there for a moment and sniggered at what had just happened. Stefan was clearly trying to look for the anti-Elena. She made her way round the back of the house and to the shed and saw Stefan looking all hot and bothered sawing some wood. She froze for a moment to appreciate how good he looked right there and then, I mean, how couldn't she. But she was taken from her thoughts when Stefan looked up and saw her.

"Elena. Hi." he said setting the saw down and walking towards her.

"Stefan... I just met your friend, Ines?" She said with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

Stefan chuckled; "don't give me that look."

"What look? I'm not giving you a look" Elena defended.

"It's the 'I can't believe you would sleep with other girls look'"

"Oh please, I couldn't care less about your bed buddies." she said rolling her eyes.

"Oh yeah? Well you couldn't expect me to stay celibate for 11 years, I mean, you're the one who got married after all." He reminded her.

"Let's not go there." Elena said with a playful glare.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Stefan asked; "Not that I'm not glad to see you." he quickly added on to the end.

"Robbie said you were doing some renovations to the house, had to come see it for myself." she told him as she looked around her at the extensive garden. Many a party was had at this mansion and it had been forever since she had been here.

"Yeah, I'm thinking about selling it on." he explained.

"Why?"

"Well my parents are gone, Damon's in Boston, it's just me and it's wasted on me. Someone could put it to good use. I need to downgrade, find a forever home." he said with a light shrug.

Elena nodded; "funnily enough, I've been thinking the same. I'm sure there are plenty out there. Here..." she said digging around in her bag, check out these listings. This one here... perfect bachelor pad to bring Ines and co. back to." she teased as he glared and took the paper from her.

"Thanks... I guess it's just kind of hard to actually commit to something when you're not buying it with the person you envisioned yourself buying it with." he confessed.

Elena nodded and looked at her feet; _did he mean her?_ "Right..." she mumbled; "anyway I should get going, I have a meeting with Matt." she explained.

"How's the divorce coming?" Stefan asked cautiously.

"Not as easily as I'd hoped. Clay's really pulling out all the stops to strip me of everything I'm worth. Like he needs it..." Elena said rolling her eyes at the thought of Clay's greediness.

"Matt's a good lawyer, he won't let you down." Stefan encouraged.

"I know. I'll see you around" she said as she turned to walk away.

Stefan called after her; "So we're friends again?" he asked with a smirk.

Elena smirked back; "I guess we are."

As Elena left the back garden she looked up at the house and saw the window that led to Stefan's room. She thought about many a time she had spent in there, but there was one n particular that stuck in her mind.

 _11 years ago_

 _Elena lay in Stefan's bed staring into space, thinking about her situation. She was crazy about Stefan, as stubborn as she would be to admit that, but she was worried what everyone would think if they ever found out. She loved this peaceful bliss stage that they were in._

 _Stefan came out of the bathroom dressed only in a pair of sweats, lay beside her and kissed her bare shoulder._

 _"What are you thinking about?" Stefan asked._

 _"Robbie and Jeremy." she confessed._

 _"What about them?"_

 _"They would totally beat the crap out of you if they knew about us. Robbie in particular."_

 _"No they wouldn't, they like me, Robbie's my best friend." he reminded her._

 _"They wouldn't like anyone their sister was sleeping with." she said with a raised eyebrow._

 _"Well when you put it so delicately" he said with a laugh as he turned to lay on his back._

 _"You know what Gilberts are like." she said further._

 _"Fiercely loyal" he said with a nod._

 _"We've always got each other's backs. It wouldn't surprise me if Averie even tried to get a few punches in and she is strong for a 9 year old." Elena joked._

 _"I'll be sure to be extra nice to her then" she said with a smile._

 _"Of course you will... family looks after family." she continued; "So you better not screw this up or not only will you lose your best friend... but also the greatest night of your life." she said with a seductive smirk._

 _Stefan looked at her with raised eyebrows; "is that so?"_

 _"You can deny it all you want but we both know it's true." she said confidently._

 _Stefan looked her up and down. She was so beautiful an he couldn't quite believe that he had her lying in his bed. He was determined not to screw it up. He knew she could do better than him, that she deserved more, so he was going to be his best and he was determined to prove his love for her._

 _"Prove it." he whispered as she quickly lent down and kissed him passionately._

 _Stefan decided to take control as he flipped them over so he was on top, and spent the rest of the night loving her with all that was in him._

* * *

A few short weeks later thanksgiving was just around the corner and it was the Gilbert's favourite time of year. Since the year Miranda and Grayson got married, the family took a weekend trip to Cabo and this year was going to be no exception. They all gathered at the Gilbert house the night before for supper and then jetted off the next day to paradise.

Elena decided she needed the distraction of the weekend more than anything to take her mind off everything going on with Clay, so she took the reigns on the whole weekend. She was currently in the Gilbert house take full charge of the supper. She decided on a selection of sea food dishes to get them ready for the beach holiday they all adored.

As she was preparing the food there was a knock at the door and Elena went to get it. Her face fell to a pout when she was greeted by Stefan on the other side.

"Well if it isn't my favourite Gilbert." He said with a smirk.

"Cute." Elena said with an eye roll; "What are you doing here?"

"I need Robbie to sign off on some papers before he takes off to Cabo." Stefan explained.

"Jealous?" Elena said knowing Stefan loved the sun.

"There's no place I would rather spend my thanksgiving than Mystic Falls." He replied happily.

"Right." Elena said with raised eyebrows, seeing right through his lie.

"What about you? First vacation without Clay." Stefan reminded her.

"It's funny how Cabo was the only time Clay wanted to spend time with my family." Elena replied.

"Something tells me it wasn't your family he was going for..." Stefan said.

"Yeah no shit Sherlock." Elena said rolling her eyes.

Before anything else could be said, Grayson came to the door and smiled when he saw Stefan. He was always a fan of him.

"Stefan!" he said happily as he shook his hand; "good to see you."

"Mr Gilbert. How are you?" Stefan asked politely.

"I'm good, though I'm a little thrown that you're using the front door and not the drain pipes outside my daughter's bedroom." Grayson replied with a little snigger, knowing exactly what those two got up to as teenagers.

"Dad!" Elena exclaimed with a shocked face. The last thing she wanted was for her father to know her romantic exploits.

Stefan sniggered; "I'm a little thrown myself but I'm not here to see Elena. I need Robbie to sign off on some papers." he explained.

"Well come on in, i'll get you a drink. It's thanksgiving!" Grayson exclaimed as he happily walked into the house, clearly already having a few drinks himself.

Stefan smirked as Elena sighed and moved out of the way of the door so Stefan could walk inside. So much for a free and quiet thanksgiving.

They all made their way into the kitchen just as Robbie came through the backdoor. Elena went back to her cooking, trying not to acknowledge Stefan's presence.

"Hey man" Robbie greeted.

"Hey, sorry to bother you on your weekend, I just needed to get these signed off before we close up shop." Stefan explained.

"Yeah no problem." Robbie said as he looked at the papers and began signing them.

"What are your plans for the weekend Stefan?" Grayson asked.

"Not a lot, Damon's going to come by for a bit and I have a lot of work to do round the house." Stefan explained. His parents had died when he was young and Damon was the only family he had.

"Well there's always a space for you in Cabo if you fancy it." Grayson suggested as Averie walked into the kitchen.

"Oh I could never intrude." Stefan said raising his hands.

"Oh you're never an intrusion Steffy" Averie said with a smirk.

"Averie..." Grayson warned as she pretended to look all innocent.

"Stefan has better things to be doing with his time than spending a weekend with us." Elena piped in.

Stefan saw that Elena was clearly uncomfortable with the idea of him tagging along, so he decided he would tease her a little bit. "Oh I can't think of anything better than time well spent with the Gilberts." he said as he lifted the papers Robbie had just signed; "but I should really get going." he finished with as Elena let out the breath she had been holding in.

"I'll walk you out." Elena said walking behind him towards the door. "Averie watch the food."

"Yes ma'am..." Averie mumbled, gaining a glare from Elena.

When in the hallway, Stefan turned round to look at Elena.

"Well... enjoy your weekend." he said with a smile.

"I will." she replied simply.

"And don't go too crazy, we know what you get like after a few too many mojitos." Stefan said taking in a sharp breath between his teeth.

Elena crossed her arms; "oh you know me that one will be difficult." she replied sarcastically.

"Uh huh..." he replied with a smirk.

They heard small footsteps coming down the stairs "momma" they heard a voice say as they looked round and saw Theo run towards Elena.

"Hey buddy!" she said as she lifted him up. "What you doing?"

"I saw Uncle Jer and Aunt BonBon drive up, I want to see if they'll play with me!" Theo told her with a smile.

"I'm sure they would love to." Elena said as she brushed noses with the little boy. "Theo, you remember Robbie's friend Stefan right? He was round at the house the other day?"

"Yeah! Rob said you are the bestest fun in the world!" Theo said with wide eyes.

"That is most definitely true." Stefan replied with a smile. "It's nice to properly meet you Theo." Stefan said as he gave the little boy a high five. "Maybe when you get back home from your holiday your uncle Robbie and I can show you how much fun we are." he suggested.

"Yeah!" Theo said happily. "I'm going to tell Rob now!" Theo said wiggling out of his mom's arms and running out back.

"He's a bundle of energy." Elena said with a laugh.

"Just like you then."

"I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not." Elena said narrowing her eyes.

"Oh that's nothing you need to worry about... I'll see you when you get back. I might even climb the gutters next time." he replied taking a step closer towards her.

Elena smirked and looked up at him, their lips only a small distance a part. She whispered; "and I might just lock my window."

Stefan shook his head and smiled as he opened the door only to come face to face with Jeremy and Bonnie.

"Hey Stefan" Jeremy greeted.

"Jeremy, Bon." he replied with a smile, before making a swift exit.

"He trying to get you to run away with him?" Bonnie joked.

"Only in his dreams." Elena replied. She giggled to herself. The hold that they had on each other was incredible.

* * *

The Gilberts made it to Cabo the next morning with smiles on their faces. This was their favourite place on Earth and they were quick to get settled and start relaxing. While Robbie and Jeremy messed about with Theo in the pool, Elena, Bonnie and Averie took the time to lounge by the bar at the pool with their drinks.

"This is the dream!" Bonnie said as she threw her head back in happiness. "Best weekend of the year, every year."

Averie nodded; "the cocktails, the sun the men..."

"Behave Averie" Elena said with a laugh as she sipped at her drink.

"Just because you're a prude Harper doesn't mean that I can't have a little bit of fun!" Averie defended.

"I am not a prude, I just have standards." Elena replied with a shrug.

"Yeah because Clay is such a high standard to reach for..." Averie said with a smug smirk gaining a smack on the arm from Bonnie.

"Ok you know I will admit that Clay as a terrible, terrible choice... but other than that..." Elena said, not able to think of any other bad choices she had made. Well, apart from...

"Stefan? He's the only other guy in your life..." Bonnie said.

"Can I please go one day without his name being brought up? Is that possible?" Elena asked.

"Doubtful" Bonnie said with a teasingly frowning face.

"Hey, check this hottie out..." Averie said as a well built, tanned brunette man walked over to the bar. The three girls not so suddenly stared in awe at him, and he smiled right back.

"Oh God he's coming over." Bonnie said quickly sitting up straighter.

"Why is he coming over?" Elena said.

"Hello, have you seen me in this bikini?" Averie said as if it should be obvious.

"Hi." the man said with a smirk that showed off his dazzling white teeth.

"Elena..." Bonnie mumbled; "he's talking to you..." she said nudging her forward.

Elena fell forward off he seat, almost standing on the man's toes. "Sorry, hi..." she greeted awkwardly.

"What are you drinking?" He asked.

"A mojito." Elena replied as the man turned to the bar tender.

"Could I get a beet and a mojito please?" He asked. "I'm Antonio" he said holding out a hand.

Elena took it and shook it; "Elena." she replied with her sweetest smile.

"Elena... American?" he asked.

"Yeah... Italian?" Elena guessed back.

"You got it. I'm from Florence." he said as he picked up the new mojito and handed it to her. "A drink for the most beautiful girl by the pool. I'll see you around." he said with a wink as he departed from the girls.

They waited till he was out of earshot before launching on Elena.

"My God, Elena!" Averie said. "At first I wondered why the hell he was looking at you but you do look hot in that bikini." Averie said as Elena struggled to work out whether that was meant as a compliment or an insult. "He will definitely be back, he couldn't take his eyes off you!"

"Well he can move along to someone else, I'm not interested..." Elena said as she awkwardly shifted back onto her chair.

"Oh come on Elena, you just dumped your asshole of a husband, Robbie had got Theo duty covered, have a little fun!" Bonnie told her.

"I do not need a hot Italian to have fun..." Elena said with a pout.

"No but he would definitely make having fun a little easier..." Averie said as she wiggled her eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

Elena laughed and shook her head; "You're ridiculous."

"and you are blushing" Bonnie pointed out as Elena raised a hand to her cheek.

"I just... it's been a while since a guy has ever paid attention to me like that." Elena said, a little downtrodden.

"Are you kidding? Guys look at you all the time!" Averie exclaimed.

"What?" Elena asked.

"Yeah you're a totally MILF Elena, guys stare, then they see Clay on your arm and quickly back away... but not anymore. You're single and ready to get out there. Do it while you're still young!" Averie happily encouraged.

"You guys are crazy" Elena said with a laugh as Miranda walked over to the girls.

"You ladies look like you're having a good time." she said as she wrapped an arm around Elena.

Bonnie sat up in her chair; "and Elena is about the have an even better time, look who is coming back..." she said as they turned and saw Antonio smile in their direction.

"Elena" he said when he reached her.

"Antonio, back again."

"Yes, I trust you enjoyed you mojito?" he asked.

"Oh yeah, still going!" she said awkwardly holding it up as Averie squirmed at her awkwardness.

Antonio turned to Miranda who still had her arm around Elena. "This must be... your sister?" he asked with a smile as Miranda giggled causing the girls to roll their eyes as their mother's girlishness.

"Oh she wishes, this is my mom Miranda, mom this is Antonio." Elena introduced as Antonio lifted Miranda's hand and kissed it.

"Gross..." Averie mumbled as she turned up her face.

"Antonio... so lovely to meet you." Miranda said.

"And you"

"Well aren't you a charmer.. I'm going to go before my husband starts getting jealous." Miranda teased as she left the girls to it.

"She's a character I'm sorry." Elena said with a laugh.

"No, she's endearing. I see now why her daughter is so beautiful." he replied.

Elena smirked; "wow you really are a charmer."

"How about you let me charm you over dinner tonight?" he smoothly asked.

"Oh I don't-" Elena began but Averie cut her off.

"Elena would love to join you tonight Antonio." she said.

"Averie, Theo?" Elena said between her teeth.

"Will be looked after... live a little Harper." Averie said seriously this time.

Elena sighed as she turned back to Antonio; "... well then yes, I could love to join you for dinner."

Antonio smiled widely; "perfect, I'll see you at 8 o'clock in the lobby?"

"Perfect." Elena replied as Antonio walked on. "I can't believe that just happened..."

"You have struck gold!" Averie said with a little jump for joy.

"Everyone thought I'd struck gold with Clay and look how that turned out." Elena said.

"You're not pledging yourself to him Elena, it's like a summer flng... in November... and just for one night." Bonnie reminded her.

"Yeah you're right..." Elena said; "what on Earth am I going to wear?" she asked as the other two started to giggle.

* * *

Meanwhile back in Mystic Falls, Stefan stood in the front garden, throwing a ball with his older brother Damon. Damon lived in Boston and Stefan rarely saw him, so they enjoyed these moments they could have together.

"So... Elena..." Damon said as he threw the ball to his brother.

"I was wondering how long it would take for you to bring her up" Stefan replied as he shook his head.

"Let's not pretend that she isn't part of the reason that you came back."

"You know why I came back Damon" Stefan said as he stopped throwing the ball for a second; "and yes it has to do with her but not in the reason that everyone thinks."

"Are you ever going to tell her?" Damon asked, knowing that Stefan had lied to all of the Gilbert about his return.

"How could I tell her? She'd probably hate me for it and if not for it, for lying about it." Stefan said as he threw the ball with all that was in him.

"Or you could be doing her the world's greatest service. Clay's a jackass, you said it yourself."

"I wouldn't be doing her son any service. The kid needs his dad." Stefan replied.

"Some people are better off without their fathers Stefan. We are prime example of that." Damon replied. Stefan and Damon's father was an alcoholic and he treated them poorly, especially after their mother died from cancer. It wasn't long after that he died too.

"I don't know Damon. This is not the same situation."

"Either way... you have to tell Elena. Cause even if you don't complete what you came here to do, someone else will." Damon said.

Stefan sighed. He knew he had a job to do, and he knowing the person Clay was, he didn't want to feel guilty about it, but there had to be some shred of humanity in him, some shred of kindness, he was a father after all. He thought about telling Elena why he was really here for the rest of the day, but nothing became clear in his mind.

* * *

Elena checked herself over in the mirror of her hotel room just as Bonnie walked into the room. She loved allowing herself to get glammed up, she didn't do it regularly.

"You look beautiful" Bonnie said as she sat down on the bed.

"Thanks, it's been a while since I've been on a date." Elena confessed.

"You nervous?"

"Not really" Elena replied with a shrug; "It's only a one night thing."

"When was the last time you went on a date?" Bonnie asked.

"Oh gosh it's been a while... when Clay and I first started seeing each other, we would have gone on them all the time, so what was that... 7 years ago? After we got married... they stopped. We got complacent with each other." Elena said in a sad voice.

"Well, now's your chance for the night of a life time."

Panic spread over Elena's face as she turned to look at Bonnie. "You don't think he's going to try and sleep with me do you?"

Bonnie laughed; "he's warm blooded male so probably... not feeling it?"

"I have slept with two people in my life, both of whom I was in love with so it's a little weird for me to think of doing it... casually..." she said awkwardly. It was only something she could imagine doing with someone she trusted, and she trusted Stefan and surprisingly, she trusted Clay at the time.

"You were in love with Clay? Really?" Bonnie said with furrowed eyebrows.

Elena laughed; "God, Bonnie!"

"I'm sorry, I'm just curious, we all thought you married him for convenience."

"He was charming, smokin hot... and for my closed off self he was exactly what I thought I needed. Very few emotional strings attached and I guess I confused that for some kind of love." Elena said with a shrug.

Bonnie looked at Elena sadly; "That's no way to live Elena."

"Yeah I know... I better get going. I'll see you later." Elena said as she walked to the door.

"Elena?" Bonnie called after her as she turned around. "Have fun."

Elena smiled; "I'll try" she said as she left the room.

It wasn't three hours later that Elena arrived back in the room to Robbie tucking a sleeping Theo into bed. She had had a nice enough time with Antonio, but it just felt all wrong to her. She wasn't the kind of girl that just went on one date for the sake of it. She was a relationship girl, she always would be and this is not what she wanted. Her mind was in a completely different place.

"Hey" Robbie greeted as Elena set her bag down and took off her shoes; "I didn't expect you to be back for a while. Theo passed out a few minutes ago, exhausted from playing all day."

"Thanks for looking after him, I owe you." she said as she sat down on her bed and Robbie perched on the dressing table opposite her. "and yeah it didn't quite work out."

"What happened?" he asked.

"I guess I just wasn't feeling it... even if it was just for fun my head was just in an entirely different place." Elena confessed.

Robbie furrowed his eyebrows; "you weren't thinking about Clay were you?"

"God no" Elena said quickly. She sighed slightly before confessing; "I was- I was thinking about Stefan... how pathetic is that?"

Robbie smiled sympathetically at his sister; "Not at all. You loved him."

"He... destroyed me." Elena said quietly, struggling to admit that to her big brother.

"He didn't know how to handle love, but he never stopped. Even after 11 years... did you ever wonder why he never had another girlfriend?" Robbie asked.

Elena looked at him with confusion on her face. He never had another girlfriend? "I didn't realise he never did." she replied.

"He thought that bed buddies would numb the pain he felt when he left. But it wasn't enough and he couldn't even contemplate being with someone else." Robbie told her, knowing exactly why Stefan never moved on. He couldn't. Not when he experienced a love like he had with Elena.

"Why did he go then?" Elena said in barely a whisper.

"He thought it was the right thing to do... but boy was he wrong. Don't be afraid to let him in again Elena. He might surprise you... goodnight sis." he said as he gave her a kiss on the head before leaving the room.

 _He might surprise you._ Elena lay back thinking on those words. Maybe Stefan had grown up, maybe he could love her like he should have 11 years ago. But all Elena could think about what how much he hurt her, when she woke up to that letter on the pillow.

 _11 years ago._

 _Elena stirred in her sleep the next morning and sighed. She had spent the night with Stefan and it had been amazing. She never knew it was possible to love another person as much as she loved him. She rolled over expecting to open her eyes and see him lying beside her, but the bed was empty, only a piece of paper folded over with her name scrawled on the front remained. She lifted it up at read it carefully._

 _MY BEAUTIFUL ELENA. I'M SORRY THAT HAVE TO DO THIS, BUT T WOULD BE TOO HARD ANY OTHER WAY. I HAVE TO GO. I HAVE TO LEAVE MYSTIC FALLS... WITHOUT YOU. I WISH THIS WAS SOMETHING WE COULD DO TOGETHER BUT YOU WERE MADE FOR BIGGER AND BETTER THINGS THAN ME AND ANYTHING I COULD GIVE YOU. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH AND IT IS BECAUSE OF THAT I HAVE TO LET YOU GO. GOODBYE PRETTY GIRL. STEFAN X_

 _Elena felt the pain boil up inside her as she sat shocked unsure what to do. Was this really happening? Did Stefan just leave her like that? She quickly got over the shock and her thoughts turned to anger, as she threw the covers off and marched downstairs to find her brother. She entered the kitchen and saw her whole family having breakfast together._

 _"Elena?" Miranda asked, standing up after seeing how distressed she looked._

 _"Robbie, where is he? Tell me where he is?" Elena asked desperately._

 _Robbie looked at her confused; "Where who is Elena?"_

 _"Stefan! Who else?!" She half shouted._

 _"... he left for New York didn't he?" Robbie asked, as things clicked together in his head._

 _"You knew about this?" Elena said as her voice started to break, her heart felt like it was literally breaking in two._

 _"We talked about it but I never thought he would actually go." Robbie replied._

 _"Well he left and he left me a lousy letter ending it... how could he do that to me?" Elena asked through her tears._

 _"Elena..." Robbie said finally standing and walking over to her. "I didn't know I swear" he said as he reached out to hug her but she instantly pulled away. Robbie always saw that as the moment that Elena officially began closing herself off to people._

 _"I- I can't do this." she said as she grabbed her coat and ran out the door._

 _"Elena was dating Stefan?" Miranda asked in disbelief. How didn't she know?_

 _"Elena and Stefan... were crazy in love with each other." Robbie confessed. "How could this happen?"_

 _A few weeks later summer had ended and Elena was back at school, trying to just get on with things. She was now in her junior year and she had no distractions anymore. No brooding Stefan. Her best friends Matt and Caroline walked over to her as she fished books out of her locker._

 _"Hey girl!" Caroline greeted; "Junior year, you ready for it?"_

 _"Ready as I'll ever be." Elena said with zero enthusiasm. She didn't even crack a smile._

 _"You ok?" Matt asked as he frowned._

 _"Fine" Elena replied simply._

 _"You don't look fi-" Caroline began but Elena cut her off._

 _"I said I'm fine guys just... drop it." she said as he closed her locker and walked on. Matt and Caroline shared a concerned look before quickly following behind her._

 _Before Elena could get very far, she was stopped by the cheeriest person in school- Cindy Silverton._

 _"Hi Elena!" She said happily with a beaming smile._

 _Elena scrunched up her face; "God Cindy it's the first day of school, why are you so chipper?"_

 _"The first day of school is so much fun Elena, it's the beginning of endless possibilities! Though it's so disappointing that we don't have the Gilbert-Salvatore master duo on the football field anymore." Cindy said with a frown._

 _"Devastating." Elena replied sarcastically._

 _"You have a younger brother right?" Cindy asked._

 _"Yeah, Jeremy."_

 _"Well hopefully he'll climb the ranks and we can get another Gilbert superstar!" Cindy squealed causing Elena to jump slightly. She was really not in the mood for this. "But you could start a new tradition." Cindy said as Matt and Caroline finally caught up with her fast walking._

 _"Head cheerleader!" Cindy said as she handed her the flyer._

 _"... not interested." Elena said handing the flyer back, but Caroline swiped it out of her hand._

 _"She will seriously consider the position Cindy, thanks for the idea!" Caroline said happily as she and Matt quickly pulled Elena away and into an empty classroom._

 _"Elena, what is going on with you?" Matt asked as he closed the door; "You've been off the radar for two weeks now and you come here and have barely said a word."_

 _"I don't want to talk about it." Elena said forcefully._

 _"Elena, we only want to help you." Caroline pleaded with her friend, growing more and more concerned._

 _"It's not really something that can be helped." Elena told them._

 _"Try us." Matt replied, determined not to give up until they got some answers._

 _Elena sighed and decided she may as well tell them, she didn't have anyone else to talk to about it. "... I was seeing Stefan Salvatore all of last year and two weeks ago he left only leaving me a letter saying goodbye." she said as Matt and Caroline's mouth fell open slightly._

 _"... well that was not what we expected..." Matt mumbled._

 _"I mean, we had our suspicions that you liked each other but.. we didn't actually think anything was going on." Caroline continued._

 _"Well it did and I am ashamed to admit that... he broke me. I should be stronger and better than that but uh... I'm not." Elena confessed, glad she was getting this out in the open._

 _"Harper, you don't have to be so strong all the time. It's ok to feel vulnerable, it's what makes us human." Matt told her._

 _"Exactly..." Caroline said as she wrapped an arm around her; "but you also can't let this define you. You have so much worth and that does not need to be shown through a relationship with a boy. I know you and I know you can go out there and kick ass. You're a Gilbert for crying out loud!"_

 _Elena smiled lightly, finally feeling a little spark inside of her; "Yeah... you're right."_

 _"Of course we are" Caroline said confidentally. "We love you Elena Gilbert." she finished with as the three hugged._

 _"I love you guys too..." she replied, knowing in that moment that she would be ok... however long it may take._

 _Later that night, Harper was sitting at her desk when her phone rang, she walked over to her bedside table and picked it up._

 _"Hello?" she answered, but there was no sound down the other end. She had been getting these calls for weeks and she couldn't work out wha- Stefan. It was Stefan. It that moment, it suddenly just clicked with her._

 _"Stefan... I know that's you..." she said down the line; "You keep doing this, just say something!" she pleaded, but he didn't say anything. "You know what, I'm not going to let you do this to me anymore. I am not letting you taking off define me and control me. You were right, I am made for bigger and better things so... goodbye Stefan. I hope you have a nice life." Elena said before slamming down the phone and taking a moment to breathe._

 _She thought in that moment she had let Stefan Salvatore go, but it wasn't until 11 years later when he showed up again in Mystic Falls that she realised, that was never and probably never would be the case._

* * *

 **What could Stefan be hiding...? Let me know your thoughts in the reviews!**


	5. The Smoking Gun

**Apologies for the mistake in the last chapter, I wrote the name Harper instead of Elena because I was thinking about a different story at the same time and it slipped through! If you ever see it again, it's meant to be Elena...**

 **Thanks to those who have reviewed, keep them coming, I love to hear your thoughts:)**

* * *

A week after the Gilberts returned from Cabo, Elena quickly realised that the fun was over when Clay and his lawyer called a meeting with her and Matt. They sat round a conference table in Elena and Matt's firm, Elena avoiding eye contact with Clay at all costs and Clay sitting with a smug look on his face. _What was his game?_

"What is this meeting about? We have the papers settled." Matt said, knowing he sent the divorce papers with the arrangements to Clay's lawyer Walter Jones a week ago.

"Well we are contesting the papers." Walter said, sliding them back across the table to Matt and Elena. "They're unfair and irrational."

"They're what I'm owed." Elena said surely, "Everything that I have earned, plus half of what you have earned, you're lucky I'm not taking your for more."

"My client has decided that these are unfair terms considering how hard he has worked over the years to provide for you and his son. He wants half of what you have earned to make up for that." Walter said as Elena's face fell in anger and shock.

"Not a chance." Matt quickly said. Elena didn't owe Clay shit, his family were unbelieveably wealthy, they didn't need to take anything from her, especially since she worked so hard to earn it when all Clay had to do was be born a Browning.

"He also wants full custody of his son." Walter threw in, and it was the final straw for Elena.

"...excuse me." she said in a whisper full of venom.

"I think you heard me perfectly clearly Mrs Browning." Walter said with a devious smile.

"He's never given a crap about Theo, why change that now?" Elena shot at Clay.

"You threaten to take me for all I'm worth, I will take you for what you're worth." Clay replied with a smug expression on his face. Elena knew he wasn't doing this because he cared about Theo, he was doing it because she did. Her son was everything to her.

"There is no chance in hell that a court will rule in favour of an absentee father over a devoted mother." Matt challenged.

Walter leaned forward; "Let's just say, we have friends in high places, so that won't be a bother. But then again... a deal could be made."

"What kind of deal?" Elena spat, not believing what she was hearing.

"Mr Browning will let you keep Theo... if you don't touch any of his money and give him half of yours." Walter stated.

"You can't use blackmail in a divorce case Jones, it's completely inappropriate conduct, not to mention illegal. You could be bared from practicing law ever again." Matt told him.

"Yeah I'd like to see that happen Mr. Donovan. Like I said, friends in high places." Walter replied as he and Clay stood up. "We'll let you sleep on it. Here are the papers." he said sliding them across to Elena and Matt. "Have them signed and back to me by tomorrow night, or this could get ugly."

Walter and Clay made a swift exit from the room and as soon as the door closed, Elena stood up and exploded.

"Is he shitting me?!" she shouted.

"Elena calm down..." Matt said.

"How can I calm down, he is on the brink of destroying me Matt!" she exclaimed again, gaining looks from her colleagues passing by.

"He will only destroy him if you let him. There will be another way. I'll find it." Matt assured her, as he stood up and pulled her in for a hug. No way in hell was he going to let Clayton Browning ruin her.

* * *

Later that night, Elena sat on her bed, reading through her old journals from when she was a teenager. She had deliberately picked the one from her sophomore year at school, aka, her year with Stefan. She turned to this day 11 years ago and read what she said, she started off with lyrics from a song, their song.

 _Some day, when I'm awfully low_  
 _When the world is cold_  
 _I will feel a glow just thinking of you_  
 _And the way you look tonight_

She let out a breath she felt she had been holding in since her meeting with Clay. She hated that it took this song and the memory of him to calm her down, but it as the truth. How could she change that? The one person who destroyed her in the first place, was the one person she wanted to pick up the pieces of her life now. She got up and turned her speakers on, picking Just the Way You Look Tonight and let the music and lyrics wash right over her.

As if by magic, there was a knock at her balcony door, and she chuckled knowing exactly who it was. She got up and opened the door to see him standing there smirking.

"I was wondering when I would next see you at my door." Elena replied, not even breaking a smile.

"Here I am..." he said holding up his arms. "Hey, it's our song." Stefan said as he followed Elena into the room, closing the door behind him.

"Yeah I was just reading my diary from this day 11 years ago and... I mentioned this song so..." she said with a shrug, semi embarrassed that he had caught her.

"Oh really? What happened that day?" he asked as Elena picked up her diary to recall the day's events.

 _11 years ago_

 _That Friday morning, Elena stood at her locker, collecting her books for her lessons. She was tired and ready for the weekend, but she knew with Stefan it probably wouldn't be a quiet one. As she continued to sift through her locker, she heard him walk up beside her and lean on the lockers._

 _"You know what I think?" Stefan said._

 _"No but I'm sure you'll tell me anyway" Elena replied sarcastically._

 _"We're a cliche"_

 _"What?" Elena asked with a chuckle._

 _"The football player and the cheerleader. We're following social norms." Stefan continued._

 _Elena closed her locker and turned to face him; "If we were following social norms, we would shout it from the rooftops for everyone to hear but alas... no one knows." she reminded him. They decided to keep it a secret so no one would freak out on them and they could just enjoy their time together._

 _"Its fun that way." Stefan said with a smile._

 _"It's personal that way. I don't need anyone else butting in, especially my brother." Elena said, knowing Robbie would have plenty to say about it._

 _"Robbie would beat the crap out of me." Stefan said with a sure nod._

 _"Not until the end of the season, the quarterback needs his receiver." Elena reminded him. The coach would kill Robbie if he let anything happen to Stefan and vice-versa._

 _"That's a good point... and a risk I am not will to take." He said as Elena giggled. "You want to be even more of a cliche?" he asked with a smirk and suggestive look._

 _"Is that possible?" she asked smirking back._

 _Stefan looked around him and saw that the hallway was practically bare, she he grabbed Elena's hand a pulled her into the supply closet beside them._

 _"What the hell are you doing?" Elena asked._

 _"Kissing you" he said as he kissed her passionately. Hands roamed everywhere as Stefan's hands slipped under her shirt and around her waist and Elena's hands roamed through his hair._

 _"You're such an idiot" Elena said as Stefan began attacking her neck._

 _"That's what you love about me right?" he said absent mindedly._

 _Elena got stiff "Love?" she asked as Stefan suddenly stopped kissing her and lifted his head, becoming incredibly awkward._

 _"Uh..." he mumbled unsure what to say to her._

 _"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable..." Elena said shifting in her position, but their wasn't a lot of space in the closet._

 _"No it's just-" Stefan began, but thankfully, they were saved by the bell._

 _"I gotta go, I have a test... I'll see you tonight!" Elena said, referring to the party Stefan was hosting at the mansion. She quickly left the closet and Stefan ran a hand over his face in despair at the situation._

 _Later that night, Robbie and Elena arrived at the party when it was already in full swing. They both knew that Miranda and Grayson would not have been happy if they knew Elena was at a senior party, so Elena told them she was staying over at Caroline's, which wasn't a total lie, because it was likely she would end up back there after the party._

 _"I can't believe you convinced me to bring you here, mom and dad will kill me if they find out." Robbie said as they stood at the door surveying their surroundings._

 _"It's only a party Robbie." Elena told him as if it was no big deal._

 _"It's not just any party Elena, it's Stefan's party, they're always crazy." Robbie said, as someone slid down the grandstair case on a skateboard. "That's what happens when you live alone in a big old mansion."_

 _"I promise I won't do anything stupid." Elena said, looking up innocently at her brother._

 _"Fine... let me know if you're actually going to stay at Caroline's." Robbie said to her._

 _"Ok dad." Elena teased as Robbie stuck out her tongue._

 _Before they could venture any further into the house, they were greeted by Stefan at the door._

 _"Well if it isn't my favourite Gilbert and Robbie." he teased as Robbie pushed him._

 _"Well if it's my favourite asshole." Robbie replied as Stefan sniggered; "I don't know why I bother to keep you around."_

 _"Because you'd be lost without me." Stefan told him as Robbie shook his head; he turned to Elena; "Elena, nice to see you." he said innocently._

 _"Stefan" Elena replied with a small smile, trying her hardest to play it cool, but both their eyes screamed otherwise._

 _"Let me get you a drink" Stefan said to her as he motioned in the direction of the kitchen._

 _"Stefan..." Robbie warned._

 _"... of orange juice..." he finished with a shrug as Elena laughed._

 _"Her little 16 year old head can't handle the beer." Robbie said, wanting his little sister to stay little and innocent for as long as possible._

 _"You suck" Elena said with a pout._

 _"Make good choices!" Robbie said as he was dragged in the opposite direction by his football friends._

 _Stefan looked at Elena and nodded his head backwards in the direction of the garden. Elena nodded lightly as the two slipped outside unnoticed._

 _"I'm surprised no one else made it out here." Elena commented as she looked around the empty garden._

 _"Strict threats not to" Stefan said with a shrug._

 _"Why?"_

 _"Because I don't want any of the garden furniture to get broken, it's old and antique and... it's our space tonight." he said with a smile as he walked over to the speakers and put their song on._

 _Elena smiled; "I love this song."_

 _Stefan smiled as her as she closed her eyes and hummed along with the music. He was crazy about this girl. "Dance with me." he said holding out his hand._

 _Elena laughed; "you don't dance."_

 _"I will for you." he replied as Elena took his hand and the started swaying. Stefan soon began singing the words in her ear._

 _Yes, you're lovely, with your smile so warm_  
 _And your cheeks so soft_  
 _There is nothing for me but to love you_  
 _And the way you look tonight_

 _Stefan suddenly stopped their dancing and looked at Elena. She was smiling softly up at him and in that moment he knew he had to tell her. He knew this was the real deal._

 _"What is it?" Elena asked._

 _"I love you" he said softly as a smile graced his lips._

 _"You love me..." Elena repeated._

 _"Yeah... I really, really love you" he said as his smile grew._

 _Elena looked at him for a second before she started giggling. Stefan looked at her shocked but amused before asking; "Why are you laughing?"_

 _"I love you too" she said through her laughter._

 _"And that's funny?" he said with a raised eyebrow._

 _"We're not really fall in love types, well, you're not the fall in love type... but here we are... it's kinda funny." she said as he finally gave in and laughed with her._

 _"Yeah... here we are." he said as the calmed down and he pulled her in for a tender and loving kiss._

 _Unknown to them, Robbie had seen everything through the patio doors._

 _Later that night, Elena decided that she just wanted to go home to her own bed, so she and Robbie were driving down the streets of Mystic Falls in silence, but a smile never left Elena's face. She couldn't remember a time when she was this happy._

 _"Do you love him?" Robbie asked out of the blue as Elena spun her head round to look at him._

 _"What?" she asked._

 _"Stefan... do you love him?"_

 _Elena didn't really know what to say because she didn't know how Robbie would react._

 _"Robbie..." she began, desperately thinking of the right thing to say._

 _"I saw you dancing and... kiss..." he confessed as Elena nodded her head._

 _"Right..." Elena decided that the best thing she could do in that moment, was just tell him the truth. "Yeah... I do love him. Crazy huh?" she said trying to make the atmosphere in the car a little bit lighter._

 _"Does he treat you right?" Robbie asked, knowing that his primary loyalty was to his sister._

 _"Yeah he does."_

 _Robbie nodded while keeping his eyes firmly on the road. He didn't want to look at his sister and see that she wasn't so little anymore._

 _"Then that's all I need to know." he said._

 _"You're cool with this?" Elena asked, surprised that he didn't have anything more to say._

 _"Stefan is a good guy and he's lucky to have you. If he screws up however, I may have to end him." he joked._

 _Elena smiled; "I will help you end him." she joked back. She felt at peace with everything in that moment and she was determined to savour it while it lasted._

"I remember that day well." Stefan said as Elena finished recounting the memory.

"Yeah?" Elena asked, glad to hear that he did.

"Was this day 11 years later as good as that?" he asked.

"I can't say that it has been..." she confessed looking down at her feet. "Clay's on the verge of destroying me and I don't know what to do." she said as she stood up and ran a hand through her hair; "this is all so messed up, I am losing everything."

"No you're not Elena. You still have your family, that's the most important thing and you make an impressive amount of money on your own, who cares what Clay takes from you." he assured her.

"I am just so sick of him making me feel so crap." Elena said quietly as tears threatened to fall. She just didn't feel like herself, she was a shadow of her former self.

"He's out of your life."

"Not until we sign on the dotted line..." Elena said, a phrase she felt she had been saying too often. "... and that dotted line is looking lke something I do not want to sign. I just wish there was something huge I could get him with." she said growing more and more frustrated.

Stefan nodded slowly. There was something that Elena could get him with and he knew he had to tell her, he had to tell her the real reason he came back to Mystic Falls.

"Elena... I need to tell you something" he said looking at his feet.

"What?" Elena asked.

"I wasn't entirely honest about why I came back to Mystic Falls. I haven't been running cafes in New York for the past 11 years. Those are all Damon's I only help out with some management stuff here and there... I've been working for the FBI." Stefan explained.

Elena froze, unsure of what to make of this news.

"What?" she asked again, needing him to explain further.

"I'm one of their leading officers in New York." he said.

Elena nodded; "Ok... why did the job bring you to Mystic Falls?"

"They gave me a case here but I've been delaying it and making up stuff to make them think I'm on it..." he confessed as Elena grew more and more confused and more and more concerned.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because I was worried it would hurt you." he replied.

"Me?"

"They asked me to look into Clay... because it looks like hes been committing fraud." Stefan said as Elena's face fell and he recounted the day he was asked to lead this case.

 _It was a Monday morning in New York and Stefan and his colleagues sat in the briefing room as their boss John Harvard._

 _"Clayton Browning III. Big banker in the incredibly wealthy and famous bank, he presides over the bank in Richmond, Virginia, and he lives in the small down of Mystic Falls. We have reason to believe that he was been committing fraud. The bank has been in trouble due to Browning spending money they simply do not have, and he has been making up the figures. So it's our job to catch him and bring him down." John explained._

 _"What do we know about this guy?" one of the investigators asked._

 _"Comes from a long line of bankers all across America, married to criminal prosecutor Elena Browning, nee Gilbert..." John explained as Stefan's head shot up and he said without thinking;_

 _"Oh my god..."_

 _Everyone turned to look at him; "Everything ok Salvatore?"_

 _Stefan cleared his throat; "uh, fine, sir."_

 _John nodded and continued; "... and they have a son together. We have reason to believe that Mrs Browning has no part in her husband's schemes. Stefan, you'll be heading up the team, I suggest you get down to Richmond and Mystic Falls as soon as possible." he said as the team dispersed and Stefan made his way over to his boss._

 _"Sir, I'm not sure that I can take on this case." Stefan said nervously as his boss eyed him curiously._

 _"You better have a damn good reason as to why not."_

 _"I know these people, it's a conflict of interest." Stefan said vaguely._

 _"You know Clayton Browning?" John asked._

 _Stefan gulped; "Uh... no but I uh... I know his wife."_

 _John nodded, catching on to what Stefan was implying; "You're sleeping with her." he said as a statement rather than a questioned._

 _Stefan straightened his posture and said; "not since 2006 sir."_

 _"That was a long time ago Salvatore." John replied._

 _"Time doesn't change the seriousness of our relationship sir. I'm worried that it could cloud my judgement."_

 _"Stefan... I understand your concern, but you're a big boy, you can put your feelings aside. And who knows, maybe rekindling the flame will help your case." he said with a smirk as he walked away, leaving Stefan with many questions about what he was going to do._

"Fraud?" Elena asked again to make sure. Stefan nodded and Elena placed a hand on her forehead feeling a headache coming on.

"I obviously don't know Clay, all I knew was that he was married to you and I thought Elena has a good head on her, she wouldn't choose an indecent guy and I didn't want to screw up your life. After everything I did I didn't want you to be disappointed again. So I came down here, but stalled, led the rest of my guys completely off the scent." Stefan explained.

"Stefan..." Elena began, unsure how to continue.

"It gets better..." he said as Elena stopped and he continued; "I came back to Boston and I saw you and I learnt what a jackass Clay was so I started digging the other day and... if the FBI caught him, he'd be in a lot of trouble."

"How much trouble?" Elena asked, a part of her not sure if she really wanted to know the answer.

"Jail time trouble." Stefan replied.

"No way..." Elena said, not sure she was believing what she was hearing.

"I think this could be something you could take him down with Elena. You get someone official to investigate him then he's ruined." Stefan told her, ready to do what he was asked to do in the first place if she asked him.

"This doesn't feel real... you're in the FBI?" she asked, taking ten mental steps backward.

"That's really what you're taking away from this?" Stefan said with a snigger.

"You could have lost your job... for me." she mumbled.

"I couldn't give you the happiness that you wanted then... this is chance fo me to make up for it. I wish I knew Clay was an asshole before or I would have destroyed him before the thought of destroying you even crossed his mind." Stefan said honestly.

"I appreciate that..." Elena said softly.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you" Stefan said as he held her hand.

"Wasn't your place to tell... but thank you for telling me now." Elena said.

Stefan smiled softly; "anything for you pretty girl."

A short while later, Stefan and Elena were standing on Matt's and Caroline's doorstep banging on the door. Matt opened it, surprised to see Elena and Stefan together.

"Hey..." Matt greeted.

"Clay's been committing fraud. We have our smoking gun." Elena said as Stefan handed him the file on everything he had found so far.

* * *

The next day, Elena dropped Theo off at school and she and Matt made their way round to the Browning house to snoop around Clay's office. Elena quickly unlocked the front door and turned off the alarm system. She hadn't been there in a few days and she was glad she hadn't. It was as cold as ever.

"You sure he's not here?" Matt asked as he closed the door.

"His car isn't out front." Elena said as Matt nodded.

"God, how did you live in this house? It's freezing." Matt asked, shivering as he moved.

"You'd think with the amount of money Clay has he could branch out on a decent central heating system, but no. He likes the cold." Elena replied.

"Matches his heart I guess..." Matt said as the two made their way upstairs and into Clay's office.

"So what are we looking for?" Elena asked, hoping Matt would have a better clue.

"Financial statements, anything to do with the personal accounts of the bank really." Matt said as he looked through the drawers.

"I told my family to get their accounts transferred to another bank before tomorrow... just in case." Elena said, not wanting to drag her family down with Clay.

"Good call."

"Though knowing what we know now, it's likely that Clay has been stealing from the family too... just to spite them." Elena said sitting down at Clay's desk.

"Let's hope not or Robbie will beat the crap out of him." Matt noted.

"Would that really be such a bad thing?" Elena mumbled. "You know, they're probably all stored on his computer..." Elena said wiggling the mouth and bringing up the screen.

"Password protected." Matt commented.

"No problem..." Elena said as she typed a password in and got it right the first time.

"How did you know it?" Matt asked.

"Clay's too dumb to remember any of his passwords, it's the same for everything." Elena said as she went through his files.

"Let me guess, douche lord 123?"

"I might just change it to that for fun." Elena said with a laugh. "Let me see... here. Bank statements." she said opening the file.

"Click on that one." Matt said pointing to a file.

Elena clicked on it and when they scanned the document and the figures, they both moved backwards in shock.

"Oh my god..." Matt commented, seeing the magnitude of what Clay had done.

"We got him." Elena said with a smirk.

* * *

The next day, after going through all the documents and checking things through with an account and with Stefan, Matt called Clay into the firm to have a chat with him and Elena... and two police officers as well.

Clay walked confidently into the conference room, but stopped in his treks when he saw Elena and Matt sitting and the officers standing behind them.

"hat is this about Elena? I have things to be getting on with... why the police?" Clay asked running a hand over his face.

"Because you're done Clay and I mean really done." Elena said.

"What?" Clay said with bitterness in his voice.

Matt threw him a file that he messily caught and began looking through. When he realised what it was, his face fell.

"Financial statements showing that you have been committing fraud through the bank." Matt informed him.

"Where did you get these?"

"Our shared home computer honey, remember? The one where I could just easily open any file and share it with... law enforcement." Elena said with a smirk.

Clay's face turned to stone as he reached out to Elena to grab her arm; "You bitch!" he shouted as the police quickly interjected and pulled him away.

Elena stood up and leaned across the table. "I would watch yourself Clay. Wouldn't want you to go down for assualt too."

"You think this means you're getting a dime out of me then you're wrong!" Clay said as he struggled in the grasp of the officers.

"I don't want you money Clay! But you know who deserves what's left of it? Theo. Remember him? Anything that wasn't taken illegally is going into a college fund for him. Quite honestly, it's the least you could do." Elena told him.

"You think this is over." He said, seething with anger.

"I know it's over. You're going to jail for a very long time Clay, I'm getting my divorce, full custody of Theo and all that I am owed. Goodbye Clay." Elena said defiantly as the police quickly took him away.

Elena let out a sigh and slumped back in her chair, not quite believing what had just happened.

"You ok?" Matt asked.

"No... but I will be. Thank you for seeing this through with me." she said to her oldest friend.

Matt smiled; "of course. You don't have to thank me."

* * *

Later that day, Elena had made her way back to the Browning house after picking up Theo from school. She wasn't sure what brought her back here, maybe she wanted a send off to the big old house that had housed her for the past 7 years. That night after Theo had been put to bed, she sat in the living room in silence. She looked all around her and sighed. This extravagance was never the life she had planned for herself.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang and she frowned. She wasn't expecting anyone. She opened the door and came face to face with Stefan, who had a worried look on his face.

"Hey" She said quietly.

"Hey... Robbie just told me about you and Clay." Stefan told her.

"I meant to call you I just..." Elena began, but Stefan cut her off.

"It's ok, I'm sure your head is all over the place. What are you doing back here?" he asked, having to guess where she might be considering she wasn't at the Gilbert house.

"I don't really know." she said honestly; "Come in." she said stepping aside as Stefan walked inside.

They made their way into the living room and stood by the fire to warm up.

"Where's Theo?" Stefan asked.

"In bed... I told him about Clay when he got home from school. He just looked at me and said 'it's ok mommy, maybe you can be happy now.'" Elena told him.

"That little boy loves you so much." Stefan said with a wide smile, loving the bond Elena had with her son.

"Yeah... I'm lucky to have him. I just wish he could rely on his dad." Elena confessed.

"He doesn't need him He has enough strong, male influences in his life."

"Yeah he really does..." she said as she looked away from the fire and to him. He looked to handsome under the red embers of the fire. "Thank you." she said sincerely as he turned to look at her too.

"The least I could do to help." he said with a shrug.

"More than anything you've reminded me of who I am... I lost that girl when I was with Clay and I can't wait to get her back." she said with a smile.

"I can't wait to see her either." he said as she smiled back. A few seconds later Stefan walked forward and pulled her into a hug. If felt so good to hold her again as she melted into his embrace. They pulled away from the hug a few moments later and rested their foreheads against each other's. Neither wanted to be the one to make the first move, despite how badly they both wanted it. They both slowly moved their lips forward and met in the middle with a seering kiss. There were so many emotions in that one kiss that came flooding through.

Elena pulled away for a moment; "We shouldn't" she whispered, knowing how this night was going to end if they didn't stop.

"Oh I think we should." he said cupping her face and pulled her in for a more passionate and full kiss.

They soon made their way upstairs, discarding clothes along the hall as they went. They spent all night reconnecting and appreciating what they had lost, determined not to let go for one second A while later, Elena lay in bed with her eyes closed as Stefan rested his head on his elbow as he stared down in wonder at her.

"What are you thinking about?" Stefan asked.

"My eyes are closed that means i'm sleeping." Elena replied, not opening her eyes.

"Yeah, I know you, you need stop thinking." He replied.

Elena rolled over to face him and opened her eyes; "you're not going to like it."

Stefan shrugged; "tell me anyway."

"The last time we were in bed like this... I woke up and you were gone. I'm just thinking that that might happen again." she confessed.

"I'm not going anywhere" he said as he ran his fingers across her cheek.

"Don't make promises you can't keep." she replied in a whisper.

"I've grown up, I'm a man of my word. I will be here when you wake up." he said with certainty.

"Only because I'll be getting up at 6am with Theo and you'll probably sleep until noon." she teased.

"Hey... I could get up at 6am if I wanted to." he replied with a pout.

"Operative word being wanted to... but I am glad you're here." Elena said turning the conversation back to the more serious matter at hand. "Even if every time I think about what happened in high school I want to kick you in the balls."

Stefan laughed; "geez, easy on the threats."

"I could have said a lot worse"

"Don't I know it." Stefan said, knowing he deserved a lot worse for leaving her the way he did.

"but seriously... you've done your job, Clay is going to prison, aren't you supposed to go back?" Elena asked

"I uh... I actually think I might leave the FBI." he replied. "I mean, why not? I have the garage here and I have you here... what more do I need?"

Elena looked at him in disbelief. She didn't want him to give up his whole life for her. "You would seriously give that up?"

"It's not something that I'm particularly passionate about Elena. You on the other hand..." he said rolling on top of her and kissing down her neck.

Elena giggled; "smooth... but don't just do this because you think it's what I want you to do Stefan."

He lifted his head and looked at her; "it's what I want. I made the mistake of letting you go once and I am not going to do it again." he said seriously as he lent down and kissed her.

"God this house is so frickin cold..." Elena said as she shivered.

"You'd think with the amount of money Clay made he would invest in a decent central heating system." Stefan replied, repeating Elena's words to Matt earlier.

"Yet here we are..." she said with a shrug. "I need a new place."

"Yeah, you do..." he replied with a giggle as he kissed her once more.


	6. Pie

**This continues straight on from the previous chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

It was 3.30am and Elena couldn't sleep. She didn't know why. Maybe it was the stress of getting Clay arrested, or the excitement of having Stefan laying beside her again. She looked over to him and saw him lying on his stomach fast asleep. While she was happy to have him here, she couldn't help but feel abrehensive and guilty at the thought of him giving up the life he had in New York for her, even if it was his choice.

Elena reached over to her bedside table and lifted her laptop. Her first move once all of this settled down was to buy a new house, a huge downgrade, so she figured she could search now as something to do. As she was looking, she heard a clatter from downstairs and her heart missed a beat. She looked at Stefan and saw that he hadn't stirred, so she got up to investigate herself.

After checking that Theo was ok, she went downstairs, grabbed an umbrella by the door and made her way into the kitchen where she heard some shuffling. She probably shouldn't be interrupting the intruder by herself, but she was pumped full of adrenanline in that moment and she wasn't going to stop.

She poked her head around the kitchen and saw a broad figure illuminated by the fridge light... eating a pie? She quinted closer and when she realised who is was she groaned, flipped on the light and put her hand on her hips.

"Lincoln!" she quietly shouted as to not wake Stefan and Theo.

Lincoln turned around and looked at Elena and with a mouth full of pie he said; "Oh hey Elena! Amazing pie."

Elena put the umbrella down and sighed. Lincoln Browning. Clay's annoying younger brother. Of course he would be the one to sneak into her house at 3.30am. They was no other convenient time for him to do so.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she asked

"You just got my brother thrown in jail, what do you think I'm doing here?" as he continued to eat the pie.

"Would you put that pie down?" Elena said, walking over and snatching the fork out of his hands.

"Ok, ok, serious talk then..." he said putting the pie down and jumping off the counter. "How are you?"

"I've been better" Elena replied.

"That doesn't surprise me."

"How did you get in here?" Elena asked. She was certain she had locked the house up.

"You think I don't know where you keep the spare key?" Lincoln said with a smirk.

"Clay would not tell you that, he would want to keep you as far away from here as possible." Elena said, knowing Clay was not fond of his jokester baby brother, but then again, Clay wasn't really fond of anyone.

"He was just jealous of me." Lincoln said with a playful shrug.

"The annoying little brother? Think again." Elena said with raised eyebrows.

Lincoln laughed; "I always knew I was your favourite Browning Elena. Not that there was much choice. Me or Clay? Ugh."

"Is there something you wanted to say Lincoln? Or are you just here to make jokes." Elena asked. Lincoln was based in New York, she couldn't understand why he would make the trek here just to ask how she was.

The smile on Lincoln's face fell and for one in his life he became serious. "No I- I just wanted to say that what you did... it was really brave. Not everyone would have the guts to stand up to someone like Clay. I know I wouldn't." he said honestly.

Elena gave him a soft smile. She liked seeing this side of Lincoln. It reminded her that not all Brownings were the devil incarnate. "I couldn't keep going to way I was going. He was chipping away at me, I was becoming a shadow of myself... not to mention what he was doing to other people through the bank."

"The bank that I am now going to be in charge of with dad..." Lincoln said.

Elena raised her eyebrows, surprised at his statement. Lincoln had never shown any interest in the family business. "He trusts you with it?" she asked.

"He knows I'm too dumb to work out how to embezzle people." Lincoln said with a shrug. "What about you? What's your next move now that you're no longer a Browning."

"I'm dropping the Browning from my name for starters." Elena said surely.

"Going back to being a Gilbert then?"

Elena smiled; "Hell yeah."

"What did you tell Theo?" Lincoln asked, always being fond of his nephew.

"Just that daddy did some bad things and had to go away for a while and I wasn't sure when we would see him again." Elena informed him.

"How did he take that?"

"They were indifferent to Clay when he was around, they're indifferent to him now that he's not." Elena said simply. "You'd think for someone running a family bank, he'd want a relationship with his son so he could groom him into being the next him."

"I bet you're thankful he didn't" Lincoln replied.

"You have no idea." Elena never wanted the lifestyle Clay had for Theo. It was immature and thoughtless. She wanted Theo to know that he had to work hard and he would be rewarded. Not everything was going to be handed to him on a plate.

"He's probably going to want to see Theo now that he's away you know. He'll realise what he's missing in solitary confinement." Lincoln told her.

"Theo is fully mine now. He has no association with him other than a name on a birth certificate. He's gotta live with the consequences of the past 7 years." Elena said defiantly. "We all do."

Lincoln smiled. Elena never ceased to amaze him even when Clay threw the worst stuff at her. "You might quite possibly be the strongest person I know."

Elena laughed; "I will take that as a very welcomed compliment."

Before they could say anything else, Stefan came into the kitchen dressed only in his boxers, his hair sticking up and a dozey look on his face. He clearly wasn't fully awake.

"Elena wha- hi." Stefan said, suddenly becoming more alert when he saw Lincoln standing there.

"What's up?" Lincoln replied smirking between Stefan and Elena.

"Stefan this is Lincoln, Clay's brother. Lincoln, this is my... friend... Stefan." Elena introduced.

Lincoln nodded, knowing exactly who Stefan was. Lincoln had been really good friends with Jeremy growing up, he told him all of Elena's exploits.

"The famous Stefan..." he said as the two men shook hands. "Nice to meet you."

"He's not famous" Elena said rolling her eyes.

"Oh please everyone knows about you and Stefan" Lincoln said tilting his head as if to ask whether she was serious or not.

"How the hell would you know?!" Elena asked.

"Jeremy." Lincoln replied.

Elena groaned; "Jeremy... can't keep his mouth shut."

"I'm his best friend." Lincoln defended.

"That's not an excuse to go rat about my business." Elena said pushing him.

"Too late." Lincoln said with a shrug.

"So uh, what brings you by Lincoln? At... 3.30am" Stefan asked.

"I was hungry" Lincoln said simply as Stefan looked at him funny.

"You're crazy" Elena told him.

"Well uh... it was nice to meet you, I'm going to head back to bed... goodnight." Stefan said as he quickly made his way out of the kitchen.

"Night!" Lincoln shouted after him, before turning to Elena and giving her a knowing look.

"... don't give me that look..." Elena mumbled with a pout.

"What look? I'm not giving you a look?" Lincoln said, knowing full well what look he was giving her.

"Yes you are! It's the 'So... Stefan?' look." Elena said folding her arms.

"You can't blame me for having questions." Lincoln said holding up his hands.

Elena sighed, figuring she may as well tell Lincoln the whole story; "... he works for the FBI in New York and he came back to Mystic Falls because his boss gave him Clay as a case."

Lincoln raised his eyebrows in surprise; "he got you what you needed to put Clay behind bars?"

"I got the evidence, he gave me the lead." Elena explained.

"So you slept with him as a reward?" Lincoln said scrunching up his face.

"Lincoln!" Elena said hitting him on the arm.

"Ow! I'm just asking... is he staying in Mystic Falls?" Lincoln pried further.

"He wants to... he wants to give up his job and continue working with Robbie in the garage." Elena replied.

"and what do you think of that?"

"I don't know if I can let him do that." Elena said honestly, feeling a relief that she finally said it out loud. "He shouldn't have to give up this good life that he has built for himself."

Lincoln sighed. He didn't want to see Elena get hurt again, she had more than enough hurt in her life to last a life time. "He left once Elena, do you really think you could handle him going again?" he asked.

"I don't know, I was a kid back then, I thought it was the worst thing in the world but now? We're adults. We have two different lives, I just got a divorce." Elena said, trying to think things through carefully.

"You never loved Clay... and you have always loved Stefan."

Elena looked at her feet; "I don't know if it's enough Linc. Not this time."

* * *

Morning soon rolled round and Bonnie, Jeremy, Caroline and Matt had decided to meet for breakfast at the grill before work. They all couldn't quite believe that Elena had found a way to put a stop to Clay, and it was the hot topic of the morning.

"So Clay's really going to jail?" Bonnie asked.

"Yep... the evidence is stacking up nicely against him. He's out of Elena's life for good." Matt told them and they all smiled, relieved at the thought of getting Elena back to her normal self.

"I have a feeling that today is going to be a good day." Jeremy said as he took a drink.

"I wouldn't be so sure..." Caroline commented as she stared in the direction of the door.

"Why not?" Jeremy asked.

"Cause Lincoln Browning just walked through the door..." she replied as they all turned around to see Lincoln walking towards them with a smile on his face.

"No freakin way... Linc!" Jeremy said as he stood up to hug his old friend.

"Jeremy Gilbert, how you doing man?" Lincoln said as he happily retuned the hug.

"What are you doing here?" Jeremy asked as he sat back down and Lincoln pulled over a chair.

"Your sister just got my brother thrown in jail, I had to see the aftermath. Hey Caroline, Matt. Bonnie... I believe congratulations are in order, you're now a Gilbert." Lincoln said with a smile.

"I am indeed." Bonnie said with a smile, resting her hand on top of Jeremy's.

"Just be thankful it's not by blood." Lincoln said with a wink causing the others to laugh.

"Watch it" Jeremy said, playfully punching him.

"I don't suppose you've seen Elena yet?" Caroline asked, worried about her best friend.

"Oh no I have, called by at 3.30am." Lincoln said as if it was no big deal.

"Of course you did..." Matt said with a snigger; "I bet she loved that."

"She came at me with an umbrella. She must have really wanted that pie I ate..." Lincoln said, a look of concentration and concern on his face.

"Yeah, that's what it as..." Bonnie said sarcastically.

"What did she say about Clay?" Jeremy asked.

"Oh you know, glad to be rid of the bastard etc. etc." Lincoln recalled in slightly more decorative language.

"Sounds like Elena, strong as ever." Caroline said.

"There was als something else rather... interesting..." Lincoln said with a snigger.

"What?" Bonnie asked.

"Stefan Salvatore, half naked, in the kitchen." Lincoln said as the four other's mouth fell open in shock.

"Shut up, Elena slept with Stefan?!" Caroline exclaimed before Matt told her to keep her voice down.

"Saw that one coming from a mile away." Jeremy responded, surprised it hadn't happened sooner.

"We at least thought she'd let the dust settle on things with Clay before hopping into bed with Stefan." Caroline added.

"Leave her be guys, Stefan is the one person that makes her happy and she needs happy." Matt said defending Elena when she couldn't.

"Don't get me wrong, I totally support it, I just want to know the details." Caroline said, clarifying her stance with a giggle.

"And I'm out... I have to go meet a client. I'll see you guys later" Matt said as he kissed Caroline and left the table.

"You know... I think it's been a whle since we had a girly lunch, isn't that right Caroline?" Bonnie askes suggestively.

"I agree... shall I call Elena?" Caroline asked.

"What an excellent idea!" Bonnie said as she and Caroline left the table.

"Man I have missed hanging out with you guys." Lincoln said with a smile.

"We've missed having you around man. How you feeling about Clay being put away?" Jeremy asked.

"He had it coming. My dad is so angry, he's talking about cutting him out of the will." Lincoln informed him.

"Man, it's just blow after blow for the guy... that he doesn't deserve it."

"I know... I guess that means more money for me then!" Lincoln said with a smile and shrug.

"Yeah like you need it... so what have you been up to recently?"

"Just travelling, playing rogue. It was incredible, I could have gone on forever." Lincoln said, loving his life of few responsibilities.

"You going back after your visit?"

"For some reason dad wants me on board with rebuilding the bank. It seems like he hasn't worked out that I am totally useless yet." Lincoln told him.

"Last resort" Jeremy joked back.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence Gilbert."

* * *

Bonnie, Caroline and Elena sat in a cafe near Caroline and Elena's law firm having lunch. Caroline and Bonnie were dying to ask Elena about her exploits the previous evening, but at the same time were trying to remain calm about it all and let Elena come to them about it.

"It's been a while since we've done this." Elena commented with a smile and Caroline and Bonnie were so glad to see her smile.

"I know, it's been too long, we should make this a more regular thing." Bonnie said.

"Absolutely." Elena said as the waitress brought over their food. "Did you guys hear that Lincoln Browning is back in town?" Elena asked

Caroline laughed; "oh we heard... he came by the grill this morning when we were having breakfast."

Elena stopped before she took her first bite and looked up at her friends who were giving her knowing looks. "Right... what- what did he tell you?" she asked cautiously, not wanting to give herself away unnecessarily if Lincoln hadn't even said anything.

"Enough. We'd just like you to fill in the gaps for us." Bonnie said.

"We can't believe you slept with Stefan... I mean we can, but so soon after Clay?" Caroline asked causing Elena to put her cutlery down and sigh.

"Look it just happened, it's not a big deal!"

"It is a big deal Elena, it's your Stefan." Bonnie said giving her a soft smile.

"Yeah well I don't know if he can be my Stefan." Elena confessed.

"What do you mean?" Caroline asked, not wanting her friend's happiness to be dashed.

"You were right Caroline, it's so soon after Clay. Who am I to just jump into bed with someone else?" Elena said.

"This isn't just someone else Elena it's Stefan. You never really loved Clay and you have always loved Stefan. Clay shouldn't have any hold over you Elena, he doesn't deserve that." Bonnie reasoned.

"It's not just that... every part of my life has been defined by a relationship. Is it so bad for me to just want to be by myself for once?" Elena finally admitted out loud. "Stefan and I ended badly once... who's to say that that wouldn't happen again? I don't know if I could go through it a second time." Elena finished, making it clear to her friends that fear was holding her back along with a need to just be independent.

"It could happen again..." Bonnie said as she held her sister in law's hand, "but it could also be the best decision you ever made. He could make your life whole again."

Elena nodded slowly to show them that she had taken in what she said, but she just wasn't sure that now was the right time. She also wasn't sure if there would ever really be a right time for them.

* * *

Later that night, Miranda and Grayson decided to have a family BBQ to lift Elena's spirits. Elena had invited Stefan to the gathering and Theo was having the time of his life with Stefan. In the short time that they had known each other, they got on better than Clay and Theo ever had.

The front door opened and Lincoln, Jeremy and Bonnie walked in and were immediately greeted by Robbie.

"Lincoln, hey!" he said with a smile as they hugged.

"Hey Robbie, how's it going?"

"Good now that you're here, this BBQ is going to be lit!" Robbie said patting him on the back before heading into the living room.

Lincoln turned his attention to the stairs to see Averie standing there, leaning on the bannister, glaring at him.

Lincoln chuckled; "Averie, I know you're excited that the best night of your life had just walked through the door, but you really need to calm down, your brother is stranding right there." he teased as Jeremy rolled his eyes.

Averie came down the stairs with scoff; "screw you Lincoln."

"It's your sass that I have really missed." he said smiling down at her.

"If you think you'll be seeing me naked tonight you can think again." Averie said surely.

"Let's not rule it out yet Ave, we both know you can't resist me." Lincoln teased as Averie rolled her eyes and swiftly walked away. For as long as Averie and Lincoln had known each other, they were the fuel to each other's fire and every time they were in the same room, there was no doubt that a fight would occur. Not surprisingly the tension between the two was all too often resolved in the bedroom.

Lincoln chuckled and turned to Jeremy who was shaking his head; "You're a scumbag."

"It's not my fault that she's so into me Jer." Lincoln defended.

Jeremy pushed him in the direction of the kitchen as Lincoln chuckled; "That's my little sister I should kick your ass"

"Yeah right" he said continuing to laugh. Before they could get any further, they were intercepted at the doorway to the kitchen by Elena who was smiling at the two of them.

"Nice to see you two together again." she said with a little laugh.

"Well you can ensure that something bad is going to go down with us here." Jeremy replied.

"Don't worry, mom has you seated at opposite ends of the table." Elena informed them.

"Well I better go fix that..." Jeremy said as he walked into the dining room to change the place settings.

Lincoln and Elena walked into the hallway and sat on the bench by the door.

"You ok?" Lincoln asked as Elena lay her head against the wall.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry" she said turning to look at him.

"What for?"

"I know you hated Clay as much as the next person but... he's still your brother I know this is hard on your family." Elena said, realising that she had been going on and on about her today, not even thinking about how the Brownings must be dealing with things.

"Clay got what he deserved and its time you got what you deserved and wanted." Lincoln said as he nodded to Stefan who was playing with Theo and his toys in the kitchen.

Elena smiled at the two as Stefan had Theo laughing uncontrollably. Her heart melted at the sight, but she was scared at bringing someone new into Theo's life. Especially when it was so insecure.

"Right..." she mumbled, quickly looking down at her feet.

"Unless it's not what you want?" Lincoln said, picking up on Elena's mood.

"I'm not sure what I want right now." she confessed.

"I know I'm not really one for advice but uh... you've spent so much time living your life for other people. Live it for yourself for once. Whatever that may mean you decide to do." Lincoln told her as he stood up and walked back into the kitchen, leaving Elena with her thoughts.

* * *

The BBQ had been fun for everyone and Elena felt good laughing for what felt like the first time in forever. While every one was messing around inside, Elena took a moment to step outside and think about things. She sat on the porch steps for around 10 minutes before Stefan came out to join her. He wrapped a blanket around her and sat down next to her.

"Hey" He said softly as Elena said hello back. "So tomorrow... I'm going to call my boss and tell him that I'm out."

"Stefan I-" Elena began to protest.

"You don't have to say anything, it's a done deal." Stefan said cutting her off.

"I do have to say something because I don't know if I can let you do that." Elena said quickly, waiting for the fall out.

"What do you mean you can't let me do that? It really isn't your place to decide Elena, this is a decision that I'm making for myself." he told her.

"No it's not Stefan it's a decision you're making for us, you're staying for us!"

"And what is so wrong with that?" he asked as he stood up and walked down the steps so he could face her. "We've wanted this since we were kids Elena, and now we can have it."

"It's a lot more complicated than that." Elena said quietly, not wanting this to turn into a fight.

"No it's not!" Stefan said frustrated. "You just always over complicate things, it's as easy as ABC, we love each other, we always have, what more do we need?" he asked.

Elena shook her head as a tear rolled down her cheek; "love is never enough Stefan. Love didn't stop you from leaving the first time."

Stefan straightened his posture as he started to work out what this was about for Elena. She was scared, she was unsure. "So this is about me leaving? Are you ever going to forgive me for that?"

Elena sighed and stood up walking towards him; "I have forgiven you Stefan, I forgave you a long time ago, I am only making a point! Look... you made a life for yourself in New York, I can't let you throw it away. I also can't let myself get involved with someone so soon after Clay."

"You never loved Clay."

"I still made a life with him. You know... you were selfish when you left after high school... and now I guess it's my turn to be selfish." Elena said truthfully as Stefan struggled to look her in the eye. "I lost my way when I was with Clay. I became a shadow of myself and I need to work on myself before I jump into another relationship. I need to look afer Theo."

"We can do that together." he said walking forward and taking her hands in his.

"No we can't Stefan... because I will just end up inventing a new Elena based on my relationship with you. I won't be my own person. I am not expecting you to understand... but we can't do this. I can't do this." Elena said as she took her hands away from his.

Stefan nodded his head as he stepped back a few paces. "Is there anyway you'll think about this some more?" he asked, looking for that last glimmer of hope.

"This is the right thing to do." Elena said with certainty.

Stefan starred at her for a few moments before running a hand over his face. He couldn't believe that he had her right in front of him again and she was slipping away. Elena was strong and she was stubborn and he knew there was nothing he could do to change her mind.

"I uh... I guess I'm going to head back to New York then..." he said. Although it was the last thing he wanted, he knew he couldn't be around her, he couldn't be around her family right now.

"Stefan I'm sorry..." Elena said as she cried harder.

"It's ok" Stefan lied. "... goodbye Elena." he said as he turned and walked away.

Elena took a moment to compose herself before going back inside. She was immediately greeted by her mother, who could instantly see that something was wrong.

"Hey... are you ok?" Miranda asked as she rubbed her daughter's arms.

"I uh... I ended... whatever it was I was doing with Stefan." Elena explained, knowing that Miranda knew something was going on again between the two.

"Oh honey, I'm sorry..." Miranda said.

"I might be crazy but... I can't define myself by a relationship anymore. I need to live my life for me. It doesn't change how much this hurts though..." Elena said as the tears formed again in her eyes.

"You really loved him huh?" Miranda said, finally beginning to understand the magnitude of how much they meant to each other.

"More than I think I will ever love anyone." Elena confessed as Miranda quickly pulled her in for a hug and Elena allowed herself to cry.

"I'm proud of you Elena... you are the bravest girl in the world." Miranda said as she comforted her daughter.

* * *

Later that night, Lincoln was leaving Jeremy's old room after reading Theo a bedtime story when he saw Averie standing at the door in her short pyjamas. Averie was just as beautiful as Elena was, flowing long hair, olive skin and the longest legs.

"You have a surprising effect on people." Averie commented.

Lincoln raised his eyebrows; "how so?"

"At first you seem like an arrogant asshole, but then you actually really help the people you care about... Elena, Jeremy..."

"They're basically family to me." Lincoln confessed, not having much support from the Brownings in his life.

"They're a good family to have." Averie replied.

Lincoln walked forward until his was only inches away from Averie and leaned on the door frame.

"What about you? You falling for my charms yet?" he said with a smirk.

Averie smirked back; "you really think you're that good?"

"I know I am that good, and I know you are that good... I would hate for you to get lonely in that big old bed of yours..." he said looking straight into her eyes.

"Hm... I suppose you do deserve a reward for all your good deeds today..." she said quietly as she teased by moving closer towards them, but just holding back before they could kiss.

Lincoln gulped; "absolutely..."

Averie smirked; "So... I'm sure if you ask Jeremy... he'd get you a doggy treat." she said as she put a hand to his chest and pushed him back. "Goodnight Lincoln." she said as she closed her door, leaving him dumbfounded.

"Damn..." Lincoln whispered. What was it about the Gilbert girls that made them so irresistible?

* * *

 **Of course things couldn't be that straight forward... don't forget to review!**


	7. Who Would You Choose?

**This is a shortish chapter just introducing a character and seeing how Elena and Stefan are coping without each other... enjoy!**

* * *

A few months had passed since Elena ended things with Stefan and he went back to New York. Things had been moving relatively smoothly for Elena. She had been keeping herself busy with work and Theo and just getting by. She was happy. Or at least she thought she was.

Her friends and family had noticed a change in her. Even though Clay was out of her life and she had some of her confidence back, she was often distant, and would go off into her own little world every now and again. It was like she was longing for something. While everyone knew that something was probably Stefan, Elena would be reluctant to admit that.

Elena stared out the window of her office window at the law firm, twirlling a pen in her hands. She definitely wasn't thinking about work in that moment, and she didn't know what it was about being here that made her think about _him._ She wondered what he had been doing for the past few months, whether he was happy, whether she did the right thing. She knew she had no right to wonder about him, not since she shut him out.

Caroline walked into her office a few moments later, but Elena didn't even notice.

"Elena can you check out this deposition for me, I'm struggling to find what I need for this case, the notes are all there." Caroline said, but Elena didn't respond as she continued to look out the window and twirl the pen in her hands. "Elena? Elena!" Caroline said louder as Elena's head snapped round and she tried to gather herself at her desk.

"Yeah I'm here... I was just... in a trance I guess." Elena said.

"You've been in a trance since Stefan left." Caroline commented sitting in one of the chairs opposite her desk.

Elena sighed and lent back in her chair; "I know that I have no right to wonder about him Caroline. I also have no right to wonder if I did the right thing. I didn't want him to go back to New York, but what did I expect?"

"This is the first time you've talked about it since it happened." Caroline noted; "it's ok to feel this way Elena, you were on the fast track to getting back together plus your divorce is still pretty fresh... all of this takes time to adjust."

"You're right. I have a lot of good things going in my life, I need to focus on them and not what could have been. Hand me that deposition." Elena said as Caroline handed her the file and stood from her seat.

"Thanks... Elena, if you ever want to talk about it, please know that you can. This doesn't have to be an unspoken rule that we don't mention him." Caroline told her friend.

"I know Care and I appreciate that... God you'd think we could get over this drama, I feel like I'm back in high school again."

"You and Stefan had drama in high school?" Caroline asked.

"Oh yeah... all unspoken of drama because no one but Robbie actually knew about us... but it all stemmed from one person... Katherine. She knew about us too... and as Stefan's best friend, she got a little territorial..." Elena said as she began telling Caroline her memories.

 _11 years ago_

 _After yet another one of Stefan's famous parties in the boarding house, Elena was fed up. She came downstairs the following morning and walked into the living room to where she knew Katherine would be. Passed out on the sofa. Ever since Stefan had confided in Katherine about his relationship with Elena, Katherine seemed to be making it her mission to break them up, out of sheer jealousy. Not necessarily because she wanted to date Stefan, but because she now had to share him._

 _Elena walked over to Katherine and sighed, before pouring the glass of water that was in her hand all over, causing her to wake up startled._

 _"What do you think you're doing!?" Katherine shouted as she sat up and rubbed the water out of her eyes._

 _"Waking you up so you can get the hell out." Elena said before setting the cup down and turning to walk away. Before she could move any further, Katherine grabbed her arm and spun her around, not in the mood for her that morning._

 _"Last time I checked this wasn't your house." Katherine said with her normal attitude._

 _"Oh I'm doing this for your own good cause there is a high chance that I may slap you." Elena said certainly. It felt out of character for her, but when she was angry and fed up with someone, she made sure they knew it._

 _Katherine scoffed; "Now, now Elena, that's not very ladylike..." she teased._

 _"Neither is throwing yourself as someone who is clearly taken. I am so fed up with your games Katherine. You were all over him last night when you knew I was around, why can't you just let your best friend be happy?" Elena asked, at a loss sometimes for her actions._

 _"Ever since you came into our lives our friendship has never been the same and I am not losing my best friend over some stupid fling he's having that sure as hell won't last!" Katherine challenged._

 _"We've been together for almost 9 months Lexi, that doesn't really scream fling to me." Elena reminded her._

 _Katherine smirked; "Then you clearly don't know Stefan. Once some fake blonde with a bubbling personality comes along your ass will be toast. It's just how he works. He's guy, a 18 year old guy, he's not planning on this being long term. You're deluded."_

 _Elena looked at Katherine, not quite believing the jealousy that was seething from her in that moment. "How jealous are you that you can't let your best friend be happy? It doesn't matter when you meet the one as long as you meet them! Why do you hate me so much?" Elena asked, wanting some answers._

 _"I feel like i'm being replaced alright? It used to be me and him against the world and now... now he has you, and i've just been tossed to the side." Katherine confessed as she looked at her feet, not wanting Elena to see her being vulnerable._

 _"He was never going to abandon you." Elena told her with a sigh, calming herself down. "He loves you way too much to that, you've been the best of friends since you were kids! But the way you're pushing us now would you really be surprised if he reconsidered things? I never wanted to replace you, there is a difference between being someone's girlfriend and someone's best friend." Elena told her._

 _"His girlfriend is supposed to be his best friend!" Katherine shouted as things finally started to click into place for Elena. Katherine was in love with him. She wanted what Elena had but she never had the guts to go after it._

 _"You're in love with him." Elena mumbled out as Katherine rolled her eyes._

 _"Only took you basically out whole lives to work it out." she replied as she sat down on the sofa again._

 _Elena panicked in that moment. Maybe if Stefan had any inkling as to how Katherine felt, he would return the feelings? They had always been so close, Elena was pretty sure that they were eachother's first kiss, first time, first... well, everything._

 _"I uh... I have to go..." Elena said as she quickly walked towards the door._

 _Katherine shouted after her and Elena froze for a short second; "Yeah, you should, cause I think you know in your heart that if it came to a pick and choose scenario, you'd be gone. Save yourself the heart break."_

 _Elena picked up her pace again, getting into her car and driving straight home. Maybe that was the cowardly thing to do, but a part of her felt that Katherine was right. Stefan had been with Elena for 9 months, he had known Katherine his whole life, surely there is no comparison? He would pick Katherine._

 _Stefan came downstairs only a few moments later and inspected the damage the party had caused around him. Thank goodness Damon wasn't here to scold him for allowing the house to be left in such a state. He walked into the living room and saw Katherine lying on the sofa with a hand over her head and laughed._

 _"Rough night Katherine?" he asked as he lifted her legs, sat down on the sofa and put her legs back on top of him._

 _"You could say that again..." she mumbled as she took her hand away to look at him._

 _"Yeah and we have a lot of clearing up to do." Stefan said as he hissed through his teeth at the mess._

 _"You're lucky I love you Stefan Salvatore, otherwise you'd be on your own." Katherine commented._

 _"Where's Elena?" Stefan asked, seeing as she wasn't in the bedroom when he got out of the shower._

 _"Uh... she left..." Katherine said as she fiddled with her thumbs._

 _"Why? I was just getting a shower then we were heading out for breakfast." Stefan asked._

 _"I guess she had something to do." Katherine said as she sat up and tried to make a swift exit, but Stefan was onto her and he knew she was acting shifty. He knew Katherine better than anyone, and he knew the games she liked to play, especially when it came to Elena._

 _"Katherine. What did you say to her?" he asked seriously as he grabbed her wrist and turned her around._

 _Katherine shrugged; "Nothing she wasn't going to work out herself."_

 _Stefan sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose; "Come on Katherine this game is getting old, we're not going to break up!"_

 _"She is all wrong for you Stefan, what is it going to take for you to see that?! She is a stay at home, I-will-tie-you-down kind of girl and that is not you. We've talked about this since we were kids, we wanted to go see the world we wanted to experience things, we wanted nothing to hold us down and your little infatuation with a 16 year old is doing you no good!" Katherine told him as Stefan shook his head._

 _"Katherine..."_

 _"She's not your type Stefan, you want a girl who's a one night thing with no strings attatched."_

 _"You're right. Elena isn't my normal 'type'" he said putting air quotes around the word. "But that's what makes her 10X more special. When I'm with her it's like no other feeling I've gotten with any of those other girls. It's so special and I don't want to lose that. I love her, I love a lot, surely as my best friend you'd want to see me happy." he pleaded with her._

 _Katherine didn't respond, rather she just stared at him with an emotionless expression. Stefan knew in that moment that Katherine was going to stand by her convictions. She was too stubborn for her own good. He just sighed and left the house to go and find Elena._

 _Elena stormed into her house a few moments after she left Stefan's with tears running down her cheeks. She quickly went upstairs but was caught by Robbie coming out of his room, who went straight into her room after her._

 _"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked as Elena began pacing._

 _"She's been in love with him this whole time, that's why she's been trying to ruin us." Elena said, and it didn't take much for Robbie to work out who Elena was talking about._

 _"Katherine? Oh man... Elena, Katherine doesn't know what she wants, she's always been territorial over Stefan, that's not love." Robbie reassured her._

 _"She told me she was Robbie... and she's probably right, if he had to pick he would pick her."_

 _"I really don't think that he would Elena."_

 _"She's been his best friend since they were little." Elena reminded him._

 _"But he loves you and Stefan has never been in love before... he's in this for the long haul Elena." Robbie pointed out. "He's never been with a girl longer than a month and you guys are hitting the nine month mark."_

 _"You should never let a girlfriend or a boyfriend come between you and your best friend." Elena said surely._

 _"First off, Katherine is his oldest friend, I am his best friend, and you certainly have not come between us and you're my sister for crying out loud! And that's practically what Katherine is to Stefan. A sister." Robbie said as Elena finally sat down and he sat down next to her. "Tell me this. If Matt said that he didn't like Stefan, just because he was jealous that he wasn't getting to spend as much time with you, and he wanted you to choose, would you really pick Matt?"_

 _"He would never make me choose, he likes Stefan..." Elena mumbled._

 _Robbie laughed; "I'm going to answer that for you. You wouldn't. You're as much Stefan's best friend as I am or as Katherine is. He loves you and he knows that he would be a fool to throw that all away."_

 _Elena nodded as Robbie wrapped his arm around her and kissed her head. "Just... take a minute to breathe... I'm going to get you some ice cream."_

 _15 minutes later, Elena was lying under her duvet, watching TV with a tub of ice cream in her hand. She groaned when she couldn't hear her show over Jeremy's video game._

 _"Jeremy!" she shouted from her room; "Turn it down or I will come in there and cut the wires!" she threatened and Jeremy immediately turned it down._

 _"You're so hot when you threaten people." a voice said from the door as Elena jumped slightly in her bed._

 _"Well that's what happens when I'm angry..." Elena said sinking lower in her bed, trying not to look Stefan in the eye._

 _"Why are you angry?"_

 _"Cause I can't hear the TV over his stupid game." Elena said._

 _"Alright..." he said holding his hands up, not wanting to get on Elena's badside over this._

 _He walked further into the room and lay down beside her on the bed, but she didn't shift closer towards him like she usually did._

 _"Talk to me Elena... why did you leave this morning?" he asked looking down at her._

 _"Katherine."_

 _"I figured that much." he replied._

 _"She just said some stuff and I got scared and I ran... I'm sorry." she said, knowing that Katherine's actions weren't his fault._

 _"It's ok... what did she say to you?"_

 _"Do you know why she's so hostile towards us?" Elena asked, diverting Stefan's question._

 _"I figured she just missed spending time with me." Stefan said with a shrug._

 _"She's in love with you. Has been for a long time and she doesn't want to let you go..." Elena told him._

 _Stefan didn't really know what to say. He never thought that Katherine would ever be in love with him. They were like brother and sister. "oh..." was all he managed to say._

 _"Yeah... she also said that if you had to pick between the two of us, you'd pick her." Elena confessed._

 _"Well that's just not true." Stefan replied without hesitance._

 _Elena sat up in bed, finally taking a moment to look at him. "You're kidding right?"_

 _"Elena it's never going to come to having to choose, you're my girlfriend, she's my friend, it's always going to be that way, it doesn't have to be one or the other."_

 _"but if she made you choose?"_

 _"... then she's not the friend I thought she was."_

 _Elena shook her head. As much as she didn't like Katherine, she knew she meant a lot to Stefan and she never for a second wished that they weren't in each other's lives. "I never wanted this." she said._

 _"I know... But maybe things are this way for a reason, all I know is that I want you, as my girlfriend if you'll still have me." he said as they looked straight into each other's eyes._

 _"Of course I will... as long as it's still what you want." Elena said._

 _Stefan smiled down at her. "More than anything. I love you, you goof." he teased as Elena laughed lightly and he kissed her nose._

 _"I love you too."_

"Katherine Pierce? My god I forgot about her..." Caroline said as she lent against the wall. "I mean this totally makes sense everyone thought there was something there, even if it was one sided. What ever happened with her?"

"I don't know. As far as I know she and Stefan remained friends and she continually shot death stares at me... I don't know what happened to her after Stefan and I broke up." Elena explained.

"Something glamourous no doubt. I'll leave you to your work." Caroline said.

"Ok... and Caroline? Thanks." Elena said, knowing that she didn't have to explain her gratitude any further.

* * *

Stefan swiftly moved around Salvatore's, the cafe Damon had set up with a bit of help from Stefan, giving people their food and taking orders. When he arrived back in New York, he felt incredibly lost. He was so certain back in Mystic Falls about giving up his life here in New York that it just felt wrong to start living it again. He needed a plan and it didn't take him long to come up with one.

His next day in work, he told his boss he was quitting the FBI. Of course he was immediately asked if it was to do with 'the girl' he had told him about, and while a part of him knew it was, he was mainly doing this for himself. He wanted to start afresh, lift some of the stress from his life and do something that wouldn't ultimately lead to him getting hurt again.

After that, he rang up Damon and the brothers made a deal. Salvatore's had 3 New York branches and Damon agreed to let Stefan take control of the biggest one. The brothers began to revamp the brand and more and more customers were flooding through the doors everyday. Running the cafe was certainly keeping Stefan busy, and his mind off Elena... for the most part.

He would be lying if he said he didn't miss her, but she made her choice and he all in all respected that choice, no matter how much it hurt him. He had to start making his peace with that.

He sat two plates down infront of two customers and as he went to walk away, he was stopped in his tracks when he heard a voice behind him.

"My God, Stefan Salvatore, first off, in plaid, second off running around after other people in a cute little cafe? I have officially seen it all." the voice said.

Stefan smirked and laughed lightly before turning around to see Katherine Pierce, looking as glamourous as ever.

"My God, Katherine Pierce, first off, in my cute little cafe, second off, looking exactly the same as she did in high school." Stefan mocked back as Katherine smiled and rolled her eyes.

They walked towards each other engulfed each other in a hug.

"It's good to see you Stefan." Katherine said as she held him close.

"You too Kat... what brings you here?" Stefan asked as they sat down at an empty table in the corner.

"Well, I was just walking down the street and you popped into my head and it's been a while since we've spoken so I figured we needed a catch up. Luckily for me, I knew exactly where to find you. The name of the cafe is a dead give away." Katherine said with a chuckle.

"Damon's modesty knows no bounds." Stefan replied with a smirk. "and you're right, it has been a while... I'm sorry that I haven't kept in touch as much."

"It's ok, I haven't exactly been the best of friends either. A little birdy told me you left the FBI..." Katherine commented.

"And who is your source?"

"Damon. I ran into him at your other cafe in Boston a few weeks ago... he gave me the whole story." Katherine said with a knowing look.

"The whole story?" Stefan said scrunching up his face. There was no doubt in his mind that Katherine now knew about Elena.

"Uh huh..."

"I'm sure you have something to say about that Kat." Stefan said, not sure if he wanted to hear it, but he knew she'd tell him anyway.

"I'm just struggling to understand if I'm entirely honest... it's been 11 years Stefan, surely you were able to get over her in that time?" Katherine asked.

"I know you think I was crazy going there in the first place Katherine but... when I'm with her... I've never felt better about anything. She made my life so much brighter... and I screwed it all up."

"Your relationship was a secret Stefan, how is that brightness? Seems shady to me."

"Katherine you saw us together, you know how in love we were... even if you didn't agree with it, you couldn't deny it."

"Ok, ok, I know how much you loved her... and now you're even, you dumped her, she dumped you, time to move on." She said certainly.

"I'm trying Kat." Stefan informed her. "That's what all this is about, a fresh start away from anything associated with her."

"Yeah I heard you got her husband sent down for fraud, what a romantic and bold gesture." Katherine teased.

"Just doing my job..."

"Well that's no longer your job and like I said, you need to move on. I mean, you're making a valiant effort here, but thank God I showed up when I did. Seeing as my parents like to buy my love, I have a credit card with our names on it just dying to rack up at least a $1000 bill. So what do you say? Up for a little fun?" Katherine asked with a menacing smile.

"Fun with you usually involved something illegal." Stefan said with a laugh.

"I promise to only cross the legal barrier whenever necessary." she replied.

Stefan sighed. He could do with having a little bit of fun and knowing Katherine he definitely would have some. "... I get off at 5." He said.

Katherine squealed with excitement; "Fantastic, you Stefan Salvatore are going to have the night of your life."

Katherine hadn't been wrong about that, she took Stefan on a club crawl, getting VIP access to all the hottest places in New York City. Stefan drank away his sorrows and Katherine danced away hers, and it wasn't long before they went stumbling back to Stefan's apartment.

"God... i need water..." Katherine said as she collapses on the sofa.

"I... I can do that." Stefan said as he stumbled around. "Or... maybe not..." he said as he quickly flopped down beside her.

"Did you have fun tonight Steffy?"

"Uh... yeah, yeah I did." he said hesitantly.

"I may be drunk, but that sounded like hesitance to me..."

"I just... it's all good and well feeling numb for a night, but I'm probably going to wake up feeling worse than ever." Stefan confessed. A drunk Stefan always had been an honest and overly emotional Stefan and Katherine cursed herself in that moment for suggesting this.

"You know what Stefan? You can spend the rest of your life mopping around because you lost Elena, or you can start living it. You have been miserable for the past 11 years because you haven't let yourself live! Elena had no problem going off and getting married." Katherine reminded him.

"Elena was just as miserable as I was. She married Clay because she didn't want to get hurt the way that I hurt her. She was indifferent to Clay, she didn't love him." Stefan explained.

"Well that was Elena's choice. You need to forget her. You need to enjoy yourself while you're still young, find someone who actually wants you and will treat you like you deserve to be treated." Katherine said

"What? Like you?" he asked, knowing full well how she once felt about him.

Katherine sighed; "You know... once upon a time, I would have given anything to be with you. But now? You're not even the Stefan that I used to know. You used to know how to have a good time, you used to laugh uncontrollably. That Stefan is not someone that I want to be with."

"I grew up Katherine, is that really so surprising?" Stefan said, suddenly feeling more sober in that moment.

"No you became miserable because you pushed Elena away. I'm not going to sit by and watch you beat yourself up over it anymore. You deserve better than that. So go and sleep off whatever torment you put your body through this evening, the drowning your sorrows in alcohol part of my 'get Stefan a life tour' is over. Next week, you're going to start living." Katherine said before lifting her jacket to go downstairs and call a cab.

Stefan knew Katherine was right. Elena was probably having no trouble living her life back in Mystic Falls. That's all she wanted. No attachments, no drama. It's time he put himself first too, it's time he started living.

* * *

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	8. That Kind of Love Never Dies

**Thank you for all your lovely reviews! They really put a smile on my face:P Hope you enjoy this next chapter!**

* * *

A few more weeks rolled by and Elena found herself completely absorbed in her work and then when she went home, completely absorbed in Theo. She knew this was what she wanted, but she couldn't help but feel like there was a massive hole in her heart were Stefan used to be.

It was late one Monday afternoon when Elena's boss walked into her office, with a request that unbeknowst to Elena, might be difficult to refuse.

"Elena" Julia Maverick said as she walked in and sat infront of Elena's desk.

"Julia, what can I do for you?" Elena asked.

"I have received a request for you." Julia said.

"Oh yeah? What for?" Elena asked.

"A murder trial in New York City. The victim was from Mystic Falls of all places. The state's attorney in New York, Alison Bradshaw, has asked for you." Julia explained.

"That's... crazy. Why do they want someone with a connection to Mystic Falls?" Elena asked.

"The victim's parents requested it. I don't know if you know them, the Fells?"

"As in the founding family?" Elena asked. I mean, who else could it be?

"I'm not sure, I'm not from there, but I'll take your word for it. You up for it?"

"Of course I am but uh... New York City right?" Elena said, knowing exactly who was in New York and exactly who she needed to avoid.

"Yep... you sound nervous about going there." Julia said, picking up on Elena's fidgeting.

"No it's just... there's someone there that I... left behind so to speak." Elena confessed."

"Well, luckily for you, New York is a big city, so I doubt you'll run into them." Julia said standing up. "I'll have the company book you flights, you're due in tomorrow around dinner time. Remember to call if you need anything."

"I will, thanks." Elena said as Julia nodded and left the room.

New York City... this just got interesting.

* * *

The following evening after dropping Theo off at her parent's house, Elena made her way to New York. She had agreed to meet the state's attorney for dinner to discuss the case and she was nervous, a lot was riding on her to get this guy sent down. As she walked through the streets of Manhattan, she lifted out her phone and called Caroline.

"Hey! Are you there yet?" Caroline asked.

"Yeah, I'm walking to meet the states attorney now. This is a bad idea, why couldn't you or Matt go?" Elena asked, clearly nervous about more than just the case.

"Because Julia asked you to go. You're the best prosecutor out there Elena, you're going to nail this guy and... New York is a big city, there's no way you'll run into Stefan." Caroline said, knowing her friend too well.

"Right... and if I do, it'll be ok, I am a strong, independent woman, no man is going to phase me." Elena said with certainty in her voice.

"Absolutely!" Caroline said happily, proud of her friend's confidence.

"Ok, I should go I need to find this restaurant, all I have is an address. Apparently it's this up and coming place in New York, they only recently opened up a restaurant part to their cafe..." Elena said as she walked down the street checking out the numbers.

"Oh I wonder what it is..." Caroline said, but was interrupted with Elena's exclamation.

"Oh my god..."

"What? What is it?" Caroline asked frantically.

"The restaurant is called Salvatore's... this is Damon and Stefan's restaurant!" Elena said.

"Oh my god... look, they're probably not going to be there, just don't panic!"

"I knew I should have checked the name of this place..." Elena said with a groan.

"Elena listen to me, remember what you said not 30 seconds ago, you are strong and you can face anything coming your way. You can do this, just go in there, have a nice dinner and leave, it doesn't have to be this big thing." Caroline said.

"Yeah... you're right, I can do this... I'll call you later." Elena said as she hung up on a worried Caroline.

Elena took a deep breath, fixed her straight black dress and walked into the restaurant with her head held high.

"Ms Browning?" a woman asked as Elena turned to face her.

"It's Miss Gilbert now, but please call me Elena... you must be Alison Bradshaw." Elena said shaking the man's hand.

"I am yes, and you can call me Alison. Thank you for taking on this case." she said with a sincere smile.

"It's the least I could do for one of Mystic Falls own." Elena replied.

"Well our table is ready, shall we?" Alison asked as Elena nodded.

As the ventured further into the restaurant, something stopped Elena in her tracks. More like someone. Sitting in the corner of the room was Stefan... having dinner with Katherine Pierce. Elena felt her heart thud against her rib cage and her body temperature rising. Just her luck that she would run into Stefan and Katherine. She didn't know what to do, there was no way Stefan wouldn't spot her, there's no way she could make a quick escape.

"You have got to be kidding me..." Elena mumbled under her breath as Alison turned around.

"I'm sorry?" she said.

Elena shook out of her thoughts and turned to Alison with a smile. "Yes uh... you go ahead to the table, I will just be one minute." Elena said, knowing that she had to be strong, be the bigger person, bite the bullet, and say hello.

As Alison walked on, Elena took a deep breath and walked over to Stefan and Katherine's table. They were laughing about something, but as soon as Stefan caught someone walking towards them in his peripheral vision, his head turned round, his smile fell, and he stood so fast he bashed against the table causing everyone to look at him.

"Elena." he said in almost a whisper.

Elena smiled uncomfortably. "Hi."

"You- you're- you're here... in my restaurant."

"Yeah I had no idea this was where I would end up for dinner... I really did not expect to run into you while here, New York is a big city." Elena said with an awkward laugh. "Hi Katherine."

"Elena Gilbert... or is it Browning now?" Katherine asked, deliberately trying to hit a nerve.

"No. It's Gilbert."

"Ok... of all the gin joints in the world, how is it you manage to walk into Stefan's? Not a planned visit I hope because that would really just drive the knife in further..." Katherine said narrowing her eyes in a teasing yet bitter manner.

"Katherine..." Stefan warned under his breath, not wanting there to be any problems.

"Trust me this was not planned. I was asked to be lead prosectuor on a case here, I was just meeting the state's attorney for dinner. I didn't realise you'd opened a restaurant... no FBI responsibilities?" Elena asked, deliberately trying to avoid any contact at all with Katherine.

"I quit. Realised it wasn't the life for me, wanted to start afresh... I've been rebranding Salvatore's with Damon. We now have 3 cafes and two restaurants in New York." Stefan explained.

"That's awesome, I'm really happy for you Stefan. This place looks beautiful..." Elena said admiring the decor.

"Thanks" Stefan said with a sincere smile, genuinelly happy to see her.

Katherine rolled her eyes and decided to intervene before Elena led Stefan down a track of self pity that she would end up having to clear up. She had been making some real progress with Stefan over the past couple of weeks and she would be damned if Elena was going to pop back up and stop Stefan from living his life again.

"So how's Robbie these days Elena? I always did have a little crush on him." Katherine said with a snigger.

"Uh, Robbie is good, still working hard in the garage... missing Stefan like crazy of course." Elena said with a little laugh. _Yeah and he's not the only one._ She wanted to add on, but she knew she couldn't. She had no right.

"Well that bromance will never die." Katherine said, knowing that even her friendship with Stefan would never be as good as his with Robbie.

"Of course not... I'll give him a call later." Stefan said.

"That's good... I uh, I better get going, it was nice to see you both again." Elena said with a weak smile.

"Yeah... you too Elena. I hope the case goes your way." Stefan said sincerely.

"Thanks... and congratulations again on the restaurant, it's really amazing." Elena said as she started to back away.

"Thank you." Stefan said quietly as he and Elena shared a longing stare, before she broke it and walked away.

"Well that wasn't uncomfortable at all..." Katherine commented.

"Just my luck she would walk in here." Stefan said, sitting back down.

"You would think when she saw the name on the door she wouldn't bother." Katherine mumbled.

"Something tells me it wasn't really her choice." Stefan replied as he finished his meal.

"Are you still bitter about everything? Because until you learn to get past it all, you're not going to be yourself again." Katherine told him.

"I'm not bitter. I understand why she had to do what she had to do... but that doesn't make it hurt any less." Stefan said truthfully, and Katherine felt in that moment they had taken a step backwards.

"Well seeing her probably brought up a lot of unnecessary feelings, but we can fix that, see that as a little bit of closure."

"Katherine... stop treating me like something that needs to be fixed. I am fine with her being here." Stefan replied.

Katherine lent forward and looked straight at Stefan; "You can tell me all you want that you're over her and that she wasn't this great epic love... but I won't believe you." she said. She sighed and sat back in her chair; "as much as it pains me to admit it, the love you had for each other? Was insane... and that kind of love never dies."

"I guess Elena Gilbert never really leaves you..." Stefan mumbled looking down at his plate.

"Maybe not. But you have to find a way to live with whatever piece of her is still with you."

"I'm getting there Katherine." Stefan said, but Katherine could see right through him.

"You should tell that to your face. Clearly the only thing stronger than your want of a normal and happy life here, is your love for her... which is exactly what you need to escape from." Katherine said as she stood up. "I'm going to get the cheque." she said as she walked away.

Stefan sat back in his chair and ran his hand across his face. Why couldn't he shake her? A part of him started to wonder whether he was really supposed to shake her at all. Maybe he wasn't supposed to give up hope.

* * *

Later that night, Elena lay in her hotel bed, staring into space. She wished that her heart didn't ache when she saw Stefan, she wished that she could have moved on from what they had, but her heart was screaming for her not to give up. She knew she shouldn't feel this way, she knew he probably didn't want anything to do with her, and she knew she would probably regret ending things. She knew she had to forget, but that was a lot easier said than done, and she hated hated that he was with Katherine and that he was having a good time with Katherine.

Elena wondered if Stefan ever felt this way when he left. He'd said in the past that he regretted leaving, that he was a coward, but she wondered if the ache she was feeling now was ever as big as his.

It was as if he was reading her mind, because in that moment, her phone started ringing and the screen lit up with Stefan's name. She paused for a second unsure whether to answer it. What could he want? He probably just wanted to be friendly, let her know there was no hard feelings. Or maybe he was going to get mad at her for showing up at the restaurant? Either way, Elena had to know, so she took a deep breath and answered the call.

"Stefan. Hi." She said as happily as she could.

"Hi... you ok? I didn't wake you did I?" he asked.

"No, no, I just got back to my hotel so..." she replied as she fiddled with things around the room.

"Ok good... I want to show you something."

"Now?" she asked surprised.

"Yeah. Now. What hotel are you staying in, I'll come pick you up?"

"You drive in New York?" Elena asked, surprised Stefan had the patience for the traffic.

"Only at night" he replied.

"Ok... well my firm splashed out and booked me a room in The Plaza so.."

"Wow, fancy. I'll be there in 15" Stefan said, smiling through the phone

"Ok... I'll see you then." Elena said before hanging up the phone.

She froze for a moment, unsure what to think. Stefan wanted to meet her... but why? What did he have to show her? Why did he want to show her whatever it was? Surely he didn't want to spend any time with her? Surely Katherine would have talked him out of anything of the sort?

She quickly began moving around the room, getting herself ready. She slipped into something a little more comfortable than her work dress and fixed her hair in the mirror. Her heart was fluttering and she knew that she shouldn't let it, but she couldn't help how he made her feel.

A short while later, Elena made her way downstairs to find Stefan waiting for her in the lobby. She smiled as she walked over to him, and he smiled brightly back.

"Hi." he said.

"Hi." she simply replied.

"Shall we?" he said holding out his arm as Elena smiled brighter and linked her arm through his.

The pair were soon driving through the streets of Manhattan in Stefan's SUV in a comfortable silence. Elena looked over at Stefan who was concentrating on the roads, with one hand on the steering wheel and the other resting on the window. He was even more handsome than Elena had remembered and she found herself gazing with a small smile on her face.

"You know if you take a picture it will last longer." he said with a teasing smile.

Elena laughed and looked away; "sorry"

"Forget what I looked like?"

"If I said yes would you think I was crazy?" Elena replied quietly.

"I would never think you're crazy." he responded to which Elena softly smiled and looked down at her lap.

A short while later, Stefan had pulled up outside of Salvatore's restaurant and they got out of the car. Elena looked up at the sign and smiled. He had taken her to the smaller of the two restaurants, the one she hadn't seen. She was so proud of Stefan for building this up in sucha short time. Elena remembered that when they had been together, he was a real foody and he had said that he would love to run his own restaurant, that or just fix cars forever. It was wonderful to see his dream become a reality.

It was late so the restaurant was now empty. Stefan soon joined Elena at her side, staring up at the sign.

"What are we doing here?" Elena asked, surprised that he had wanted to spend any time with her. It's like he didn't care that they were incredibly awkward with each other earlier.

"Well... I was sitting at dinner after you left and I was thinking about the restaurant and how proud I was of it and then I started thinking about all those nights we would just lie in bed, talking about our dreams. You would talk about wanting to make a difference in the world and about fighting for people who otherwise wouldn't have a voice, and you got that dream... you have no idea how proud I was of you when Robbie told me you'd graduated law school." Stefan confessed sincerely.

"Yeah, I got my dream... and now you have yours. I remember when you used to talk about running your own restaurant, having signiture cocktails and... I drew that sign." Elena said pointing up at the brown lettered 'SALVATORE'S'.

"You have a secret gift for art Elena Gilbert. I carried around that sign you drew in my journal for years, just waiting for the moment I would get to use it." Stefan said. "So I guess the reason I brought you here was because your mark is on this place too and I just had to show you."

Elena smiled as Stefan walked forward and opened the door and moved aside so she could walk in. She said thank you as she moved past him, brushing her shoulder against his torso. She felt a shock run through her body when she did so, one little brush and all of her senses were heightened.

Stefan switched the lights on and illuminated the restaurant. The room was lit with exposed bulbs hanging from the ceiling creating a relaxed atmosphere before you had even sat down. The floors were mahogany with deep red walls and mirrors lining them.

"So the fabric on the seats..." Stefan said pulling one of the chairs out, "is fabric that Damon and I found in the attic back home. We think it dates back to the original Salvatore mansion in Mystic Falls, so it's probably around 150 years old." he explained as Elena ran her fingers along the chair.

"The bar..." Stefan said as they walked towards it. "Is made from the wood I was using to fix up the shed. I got it from the back wing of the boarding house, it was pretty much falling apart because we didn't use it so I thought why let it all go to waste?" he said.

"So there's a lot of Salvatore history here huh?" Elena said sitting at one of the bar stools.

"You got that right." Stefan replied as he walked behind the bar. "Champagne?" he asked as he popped the bottle open.

"Wow, don't I feel important." Elena teased as she took the glass Stefan poured for her.

"You were very important in the making of this restaurant." Stefan said as he held up his glass and clinked it with Elena's.

"It's all you Stefan, all I did was design a sign on the back of a napkin." Elena said, not wanting to take any credit for Stefan's hard work.

"It's more than that Elena. You really pushed me into realising I can make all of this a reality. Even though I avoided it for so long because I thought I wanted the adrenaline rush of something like the FBI. When I came back to Mystic Falls, you helped me realise that I can achieve all of this, you made me realise that my life should mean something because I can make it mean something." Stefan confessed. "It certainly hasn't been easy though." He added onto the end.

"Is that why Katherine is here? She always did put you in a good mood. She could always give you a kick up the ass when you were feeling sorry for yourself." Elena joked.

Stefan laughed; "it's like she has a sixth sense or something. I never called her but she came out here anyway, saw that I wasn't doing so good and began to pick me up again. I know you aren't her biggest fan but... she's been a really good friend to me Elena."

"I know that and I appreciate that..." Elena said quietly. The last thing she wanted was for Stefan to lose friends because of her.

"If she knew I was here with you she would be so mad... she thinks I need to forget you." Stefan told her as Elena slowly nodded.

"Why am I here then? I was horrible to you Stefan, I pushed you away, you should hate me, not show me your restaurant and give me some credit for it." Elena challenged. Their moment of happiness was over, as reality began to set it. There was this huge issue between them and neither had been bold enough to do or say anything about it.

"I'm not going to lie, I was hurt when you ended things. But then I remembered that you had a valid explanation, but when I left, I was just being a coward. I have no right to be mad at you and... I could never hate you. Not when you brought so much happiness into my life." Stefan told her.

"I'm so sorry Stefan..." Elena whispered, unsure what else she could say. "I know I have no right but... I really do miss you. Everyday."

"I miss you too... guess our timing has just always sucked." Stefan said with a little laugh.

"Yeah it really has. Can you ever forgive me?" she asked with clear pain in her eyes.

"... There's nothing to forgive." he said as he rested a hand on hers.

Elena felt a sudden sense of peace rush over her. His kindness was what she had been waiting for, and something told her this moment was something he needed too.

They stayed in the restaurant for the next few hours, talking about family, work and just general life. It felt so right just to be sitting with each other, catching up, getting along. If they could have stayed like that forever they would have.

* * *

Elena arrived back at the hotel late that night, tired, but content. She lay down for a few moments and closed her eyes, just allowing herself to breathe and take in the evening's events. Before she could really think, there was a knock at her door and Elena sat up confused. She walked to the door and opened it up, surprised by her visitor on the other side.

"Katherine?" Elena said as Katherine smirked at her.

"Elena."

"It's 2am what the hell are you doing here?"

"Well, it would be earlier if you had bothered to return home at a reasonable hour, but it seems Elena Gilbert is a bit of a night owl." Katherine said pushing past Elena into her room.

"Oh sure come on in..." Elena mumbled as she closed the door and followed Katherine is.

"So I know Stefan took you to his restaurant." Katherine said as she crossed her arms.

"Did he tell you that?" Elena asked.

"No, but I know Stefan better than anyone, of course he was going to take you there. Show the one person he loves most in this world that his dreams were starting to become true." Katherine said with an eye roll.

"Glad to see you still have the emotional age of a 12 year old boy..." Elena said as Katherine glared. "Look, it's late and I'm tired and I would really rather not have an ear full from you. Stefan and I got some closure tonight, you're not going to lose him to me again Katherine." Elena said with a sigh.

"Elena he was never mine to lose nor will he ever be someone else's guy to lose in the future. Don't you see that?" Katherine asked.

Elena furrowed her eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"

"He never moved on from you in the 11 years that you were apart and he certainly hasn't moved on now. Even if he does find someone else that he loves, he will never love her as much as he loves you." Katherine said honestly. She ran her fingers along the desk pushed against the wall as she walked closer towards Elena. "and you can deny your love for him all you want, you can push him away... but it's not going to do either of you any good."

"Are you seriously standing here, telling me that you want me to be with Stefan?" Elena asked, surprised that Katherine would ever want that.

"This isn't about what I want Elena, this is about what would make Stefan less miserable. I admit defeat. I mean, I can keep working on him, getting him to move on despite the fact that you set us back about 100 years..." Katherine exaggerated; "but I know he's never really going to be able to do that, because Elena Gilbert never really leaves someone does she? You're always going to keep popping up and you're always going to be mopping after each other and not do anything about it because you both feel bad. I know you think that you need to be on your own so you can become your own person but that's not true. Sometimes the person you love the most is the one who brings out the best version of yourself."

Katherine walked towards the door leaving Elena dumbstruck, her mind was moving a 100mph and she didn't know what the right response should be.

"I see I've left you in a bit of a tizz... I'll just leave you to mull over my incredible words of wisdom. See you Elena." Katherine said as she left the room and left Elena to her thoughts.

* * *

A week had gone by and Elena had no contact with Stefan. It was time for her to return to Mystic Falls and she didn't know what to do. Her head was telling her one thing but her heart was screaming another. Maybe she just needed to hear his voice, maybe that's all she needed to know what to do.

She picked up her phone and dialled the all too familiar number.

"Elena" His voice said down the other line, surprised to hear that she had called him.

"Hi" she breathed out.

"Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, I'm just about to head off to the airport... thought I would just call and say..." Elena said, stopping herself because she didn't really know what to say.

"Goodbye?" he asked.

Elena sighed; "that's the problem, I don't know if that's what I want to say. My head is screaming for me to just say goodbye, you got your closure the other night, but my heart is screaming for me to just... to just tell you that I love you and to just come back to Mystic Falls so we can work everything out."

There was silence on the other end of the line as Elena had left Stefan without anything to say. He didn't expect her to say anything like that. His head was a mess.

"Elena..." he breathed out. "We met, and we fell in love and it was epic... but then the sun came up and reality set in. We're living two different lives, you're finally getting yours on track after Clay and I am doing really well in New York. We shouldn't screw that up. Maybe one day." he replied, and in an instant a part of him regretted it.

Elena nodded down the phone, knowing that he couldn't see, but she didn't know what else to do. She knew that if she spoke her voice would crack and she didn't want any weakness to pass through. She took a deep breath and composed herself, ready to show the Elena Gilbert strength that everyone knew was inside of her.

"I understand. Thank you for showing me the restaurant Stefan, I am... so proud of you. I really wish you the best... goodbye Stefan." she said, as she hung up the phone before he could reply.

* * *

 **Will their chance ever come?! Don't forget to review!**


	9. Swimming, Alcohol and Dinner Parties

**Again, thank you all for your lovely reviews! They always put me in the mood to write more for you guys. Keep them coming!**

 **This is probably my favourite chapter yet... there's a lot going down! Enjoy:)**

* * *

Elena dived into the swimming pool in the Salvatore pool house and let the cold water amerce her. She had called Damon that evening asking if she could use the pool, knowing that neither of them were there, and he said yes, telling her the key to the pool house was in the exact same place it had always been.

She had been staying with her parents after she managed so tell 'Browning Manor' as her friends had called it and was still looking around for the perfect place, but to no luck. Every house she looked at just didn't feel right.

After checking in on Theo, Elena left the house late that night and went round to the pool. She and Stefan used to spend a lot of time in there, just messing around, enjoying each other's company, and now that she was in it, she felt a little lonely.

She swam a few lengths, completely underwater before coming up for breath and feeling reality set it. When she was underwater, it was like all of her problems had been washed away, but as soon as she came up, it was like they never left her. She rested her head on the edge of the pool and allowed her legs to float out infront of her, as the memories of being here came flooding back.

 _11 years ago_

 _Elena was lying in Stefan's bed late one Friday night, dozing. Before she could drift off to sleep, she felt light kisses being placed up her arm and along her shoulder and she smirked._

 _"What's a girl got to do to get some sleep around here?" She mumbled into her pillow, but unable to hide her smile, she certainly didn't mind her sleep being interrupted like this._

 _"When I have an idea there is no time for sleep." Stefan replied as he smiled against her skin._

 _"Your ideas usually mean I need to preserve some energy, which I have none of right now." Elena said burying her face deeper into the pillow._

 _Stefan chuckled and quickly rolled Elena over and hovered over the top of her. "You're going to love this idea, trust me..." he said as they brushes noses and he kissed her._

 _Stefan bounced off the bed throwing Elena his shirt to throw on over her underwear clad body and walked towards the door._

 _"Uh... aren't you going to put some clothes on?" Elena asked, admiring Stefan's toned torso._

 _"We're not going to need clothes where we're going, I just didn't want you to get cold on the way there." Stefan replied as he bent down. "Hop on" he said as Elena giggled and jumped on his back for a piggy back ride to their destination._

 _They laughed the whole way down to the pool house and when they arrived, Stefan set Elena down and smiled._

 _"Your bright idea was the pool?" Elena asked raising an eyebrow._

 _"Yes, but more specifically... skinny dipping in the pool..." he said with a smirk as he dropped his boxers and canonballed into the pool._

 _"Stefan!" Elena said as she laughed but backed away._

 _"You coming?" he asked as he came up from under the water and shook the excess water out of his hair._

 _"I don't know..."_

 _"Oh come on Elena, it's not like anyone's going to see us!" Stefan told her._

 _"You have security footage in here that Damon likes to check when he comes home cause he doesn't trust you to keep this house in one piece." Elena reminded him._

 _"I'll erase the footage I promise!" Stefan said holding his hands up. "Don't you have fantasies?" he asked._

 _"What do you mean fantasies?" Elena asked._

 _"Like fantasies of where you want to have sex" he said._

 _"Well I can see that you have..."_

 _"You got that right." he said wiggling his eyebrows as Elena tried to hold back a smile. "This pool is definitely one of them."_

 _"Am I really expected to believe that Stefan Salvatore, the biggest player in Mystic Falls, has never brought a girl in here?" Elena said raising her eyebrow._

 _"Oh I've brought girls in here but never had sex with them. That is a luxury I saved for the girl I love." he said with a sincere smile._

 _"You've changed." Elena said sincerely as she smiled down at her boyfriend._

 _"You changed me... and I changed you." he said with a shrug._

 _"And how have you changed me?" Elena asked with her hands on her hips._

 _"... I'm showing you how to live." he said as his eyes tore right through her._

 _In one swift movement, Elena had taken the shirt and her underwear off and she dived into the pool. When she came up for air she came face to face with Stefan._

 _"Now that was sexy" he said as he pulled her closer and she wrapped her legs around his waist._

 _Elena smiled at him and pulled him in for a kiss. Stefan spent the next while living his fantasy and showing Elena how much he loved her._

Elena smiled at the memory and how much she treasured every moment she had with Stefan. She knew that the love she felt for him was something that not everyone got to experience, and she felt guilty for throwing it away. But he made his choice, and she had to make her peace with it.

If she was going to take anything away from what she had with Stefan, is that he did teach her how to live, how to let go and enjoy life, and how to love. Elena took in a breath as she went back under water, determined to come up a new girl, ready to take on life.

* * *

Stefan sat at the bar of Salvatore's that night after closing, checking through some financial statements and emails. He heard the door open behind him and saw Katherine walk in and sit down beside him.

"What you doing?" she asked as she reached behind the bar and lifted a bottle of tequila.

"Just admin stuff, and you are 100% paying for that." Stefan commented a she poured some shots.

"Yeah ok..." Katherine said, not believing he would make her do that.

"We have an 18th birthday party coming in next week." Stefan said showing her the email.

"An 18th birthday party? Well they sure have gotten fancier since our day..." Katherine said, thinking about the crazy parties they had at Mystic Falls.

"Tell me about it. No boozy, hormonal, over the top parties in the woods." Stefan said as he closed his laptop and downed the shot.

"Something tells me you just had a nervous flashback" Katherine commented on the manner Stefan had taken the shot.

"I was just thinking about one of the parties at the beginning of senior year" Stefan told her.

"Oh you mean the one where you and Elena tormented each other all night by flirting with other people?" Katherine asked as Stefan looked her confused that she knew about that. "Don't give me that look Stefan, you think I didn't notice the glares you two were sending each other's way? You would have had to have been an idiot to miss that. That's when I first knew something was going on with you two."

"Right... well, we weren't technically together, I mean... we'd just spent the night together a few weeks ago and things were kind of in limbo so... we were testing the waters cause we were both to stubborn to admit that we just wanted each other." Stefan explained, as he thought about the party.

 _11 years ago_

 _Katherine stood at the keg in the middle of the woods, trying to get the tap to work but failing. As she continued to bang it, her frustration grew, and just as she was about to give up, she felt a hand take it from her with a laugh._

 _"Easy there Kat, would hate to see you explode out here." Stefan teased as he poured her a beer._

 _"You're funny and I am not drunk enough." Katherine said as she downed the beer._

 _"Wow, what's up with you?" he asked as he poured himself a drink._

 _"I'm just ready to get out of this town." she said. Katherine was bored, and it didn't surprise Stefan. He knew she would be out of here as soon as possible and he knew she wouldn't look back._

 _"But first... we have to make the most of senior year." Stefan said as he raised his glass._

 _Katherine gave him a sarcastic smile. "Where's Robbie? I reckon he could lift my bordem tonight..." she said with a sly smirk looking around her._

 _"Robbie has been resisting your charms since freshman year Katherine, something tells me that he isn't going to give in tonight." Stefan said with a laugh._

 _"Yeah we'll see about that. They all give in eventually." Katherine said with a shrug._

 _Stefan laughed and lifted his head. As he looked straight ahead, he saw Elena chatting and seemingly flirting with Liam Davis. Stefan felt his blood boil, but he tried to play it cool._

 _"Is there something going on with Elena and Davis?" Stefan said, practically spitting Liam's name._

 _"I have no idea, nor do I care." Katherine said. "Though it would be interesting to know if little miss perfect wasn't so perfect after all..." she said narrowing her eyes._

 _"Be nice Katherine..." Stefan said._

 _"Why are you defending Elena? Wait, it's this dumb loyalty thing you have with Robbie right? You look out for his sister like she's your own?" Katherine asked._

 _"... something like that." Stefan said, not really sure what to tell Katherine._

 _"Well she looks perfectly fine over there with Liam, so why don't we find you someone to have a little fun with." Katherine said as she started to walk away from him._

 _Stefan caught Elena's eye and they stared at each other for a brief moment, before Elena was taken back into conversation with Liam._

 _"Yeah... that sounds like a good idea." Stefan said as he downed his beer and walked off._

 _Elena eventually picked up on Stefan's jealous vibes, so she decided to test the waters. The harder she flirted with Liam, the more girls Stefan would turn on the charm for. They were both driving each other crazy, but neither would admit that._

 _Elena watched as Stefan whispered something in Gracie Fell's ear causing her to giggle like crazy, and she finally snapped. She needed a drink._

 _"I'm going to get a drink." she said in the middle of conversation with Liam, before quickly storming over to the keg._

 _Stefan saw her angry walk out of the corner of his eye and smirked. He felt victorious in that moment, and he wasn't afraid to gloat a little bit about it. He walked up behind Elena and stood close behind her, causing her to jump._

 _"Now is it just me, or is Elena Gilbert looking a little jealous?" Stefan asked with a smirk as Elena pushed away from him, holding her ground._

 _"What would I have to be jealous about Salvatore?" she asked, with a fake confused look._

 _"You know exactly what you're jealous about, you're losing this little game we have going here." Stefan said as he closed the gap between them more._

 _"I don't know what you're talking about..." Elena said quietly, trying not to give into Stefan._

 _"I'm sorry that you've had to stoop as low as Liam though. What's the story there?" he asked._

 _"Now who's jealous." Elena said with a smirk. "He asked me out a few days ago and I said I would think about it. I guess this is just him trying to win me over."_

 _"You would think about it?" Stefan asked for clarification._

 _"Yep... not like I have a boyfriend or anything." she replied with a hint of bitterness in her voice._

 _Stefan clenched his jaw, he was too stubborn for his own good. "No... I guess not."_

 _Elena felt a little disappointed that that as all Stefan had to say. She shrunk down a little and nodded. "Have a good night Stefan." she said as she held up her glass to him._

 _Stefan cursed himself for letting her walk away. Elena was beginning to see clearly the two different sides to Stefan Salvatore. The incredibly loving and romantic guy, and the stubborn ass who was used to getting what he wanted._

 _Some time had passed and Stefan was growing less and less invested in the girls throwing themselves at him and more and more invested in Elena and Liam. He watched as they flirted and laughed and spent all evening together. Elena knew exactly what she was doing and she loved having the power to drive Stefan crazy._

 _"This has been fun Elena." Liam said to Elena who smiled softly back._

 _"Yeah it has." she replied._

 _"We should uh... take this elsewhere. What to you say?" he said as he settled his hands on her waist and pulled her closer towards him._

 _Elena panicked and pulled back quickly. "Oh no we shouldn't do that, it's been a long night, I should really just be getting home..." she said, but Liam was quick to pull her in again._

 _"Come on Gilbert, losen up a little bit..." he said as he tried to kiss her, but Elena squirmed in his arms and as she broke free she pushed him away._

 _"I said no Liam." she said more forcefully._

 _Liam looked mad, but he always wasn't about to give up, just as he was about to walk towards her again, he heard a voice from behind him._

 _"You know Davis... I always thought you were a little dense, but not so dense that you don't know the meaning of the word no." Stefan said as he folded his arms and lent against the tree._

 _Liam turned round and glared at Stefan; "stay out of this Salvatore, this is between me and Elena."_

 _"Show a little respect Liam, she doesn't want you, walk away." Stefan said he walked intimidately towards him._

 _Liam knew he was fighting a losing battle so he held up his hands and backed away. No one messed with Stefan Salvatore and it would have been ten times worse if Robbie Gilbert was there too. They were quite the intimidating pair._

 _"Lucky Elena has the cavalry waiting to defend her honour..." Liam said as he turned to Elena. "It's pathetic really." he finished before walking away._

 _Elena looked scared, but angry at the same time, she locked eyes with Stefan who was looking at her longingly, but Elena shook her head, and started to walk away from the party. Stefan didn't miss a beat before following her into the carpark._

 _"Elena wait!" he said as she continued to walk away._

 _"Go away Stefan." Elena said as she felt around her pockets for her phone._

 _"Are you seriously mad at me right now?" he asked as he stood infront of her, stopping her from walking away._

 _"I was fine Stefan, I was dealing with Liam, I don't need you to jump in and save me!" she said angrily._

 _"I was trying to help you Elena!"_

 _"I didn't need your help! We're not friends and you sure as hell aren't my boyfriend." she said as Stefan took a step back and nodded._

 _"So that's what this is about. Me not saying I want to be your boyfriend?" He asked_

 _"God Stefan, no! You've clearly made your choice in that matter and I couldn't care less." Elena said as she tried to walk away again but he quickly stopped her._

 _"I know you care Elena, don't pretend that you don't." Stefan said._

 _Elene scoffed; "that is so rich coming from you! You've been avoiding ever since the other night, so clearly you said all that ridiculously romantic and sweet stuff about finally working me out to get me into your bed. So congratulations, it worked!"_

 _"That is not why I said those things Elena and you know it. I know you've always thought little of me but this? What we have? It's real, it's the most real thing I have ever felt in my entire life and I know I'm being stubborn about it but... I'm scared. I'm scared that I'm going to screw it up because I've never been the relationship guy. I would hate myself if I ever hurt you." Stefan confessed._

 _Elena shifted in her space; "Is this your way of telling me you want to be my boyfriend?" she said with a teasing smile._

 _"... yeah. I guess it is."_

 _"I get that you're scared... I'm scared too, I've never felt this way about someone before and the fact that it's the imfamous Stefan Salvatore freaks me out even more. But we would be idiots not to see where things go when we both feel this way." Elena said as they both finally gave into their desires._

 _Stefan quickly walked forward and wrapped her in his arms for a searing kiss._

"Well isn't that romantic." Katherine said sarcastically, bringing Stefan out of his memory.

"I know you're secretly a sucker for a good romance story Katherine." Stefan teased.

"If you think that's the case then I'm starting to think you never really knew me at all Stefan." Katherine said pretending to be hurt. "We need more tequila." she said pouring more shots. "Cheers" she said as they quickly downed them.

"You're a terrible influence on me." Stefan said as he screwed up his face at the taste of the tequila.

"I am an enlightening influence." Katherine said with a smirk.

"I thought you said the drowning my sorrows in alcohol part of the make Stefan fun again tour was over?" Stefan asked.

"It's more of a 'get Stefan out of his funk' tour and you seem to be doing ok, despite saying no to Elena." Katherine commented.

"Yeah I am doing ok. We both made a choice and we should stick by it. I have no doubt that Elena is starting to live her life again, so I'm going to do exactly the same."

* * *

Elena walked into the grill that Saturday morning with a smile on her face and Theo happily running behind her. When Caroline, Bonnie, Matt, Averie, Robbie and Jeremy saw here, they all stared at her with confused looks on their faces.

"Rob Rob!" Theo said running at Robbie how quickly scooped him up into his arms.

"Hey buddy!" Robbie said as he tickled Theo lightly; "What is your mommy planning?"

"A dinner!" Theo said happily as Elena set her bags down on the table.

"Oh yeah?" Robbie asked confused.

"Yeah." Elena said calmly as Caroline and Averie looked to see what was in the bags. "It's been a tough few weeks and I know I have been terrible company but enough is enough. I am ready to finally start living and stop making decisions that are out of my hands affect me. So, tomorrrow, I want to have a dinner to say thank you to all of you for not giving up on me and continuing to help me push through whatever I have been going through." Elena said as her friends and family smiled at her.

"Well finally, the fun Elena is back!" Averie said happily, I'm going to get us some drinks to celebrate.

"Averie it's 10am." Jeremy reminded her.

"It's noon somewhere!" she replied happily as she skipped towards the bar.

Caroline and Matt walked towards Elena cautiously ready to ask their questions.

"Elena are you sure you're ok about this? I mean it's only been two weeks since what happened in New York..." Caroline said.

"Care I'm fine, I promise. Stefan made his choice and I have made my peace with that. It's time I start living, don't you think?" she said.

Averie soon came over with a tray of mimosas and everyone took a glass.

"To Elena;" Matt said; "Our fun and fearless friend, who is ready to take on the world, one step at a time."

"To Elena!" they all said as the clinked glasses.

* * *

Stefan sat in Central Park that morning, squinting his eyes at the brightness of the day. Despite having his sunglasses on, he was learning a hard lesson on the side affects of tequila. He closed his eyes and sighed, enjoy the peacefulness of the park that morning.

"Well you look like you've had a rough night." He heard a voice say, as a man in his 80s sat down beside him.

Stefan laughed; "You could say that again. I'm remembering why tequila isn't my friend."

"We all learn that lesson the hard way... how are you doing Stefan?" the man asked as he clapped a hand down on Stefan's shoulder.

"Better now that you're here Nonno. How did you know where to find me?" Stefan said smiling at the older man.

"We stopped by the cafe to chat to Damon and he said you usually walked here on a Saturday morning."

"Nonna's here?" Stefan asked, looking around for the woman.

"She's coming, she got distracted by some ducks in the lake, you know what she's like." Piero Salvatore said rolling his eyes as Stefan laughed.

Piero and Alessandra Salvatore, Stefan and Damon's grandparents had lived in Italy their whole lives, but following the death of their son Guiseppie and his wife Lily, they moved to New York to be closer to the boys. Despite being in their 80s, the pair were as active as ever, and their grandsons admired them a lot.

"I've been trying to get her to let me take her to your restaurant for dinner, but she says absolutely not because you have a date with her there scheduled for next week, and there is no way she is going there with anyone but her grandson." Piero said, rolling his eyes at his wife of 60 odd years.

"When nonna is set on something there is no changing her ways, you know that nonno." Stefan reminded him.

"Oh boy do I know it and if I forget, I am very swiftly reminded of it." Piero said shaking his head.

Piero and Alessandra's romance astounded Stefan. They bickered like there was no tomorrow, but they couldn't imagine life without each other, and they were the reason Stefan knew true love existed, and why he was determined to never give up on it.

"Nonna really keeps you on your toes huh?" Stefan commented.

"You bet she does... and I wouldn't have it any other way." Piero said surely. "Now, Damon tells me, you've been going through a bit of a... funk, so to speak."

"Whatever funk I was going through is over. I'm doing better." Stefan assured him, not wanting to worry his Nonno.

"Stefan you know I don't like to be lied to and I can see right through your lies." Piero reminded him.

"I promise you I'm doing ok Nonno." Stefan said with a snigger.

"Well ok just isn't good enough Stefan. No grandson of mine is allowed to just be ok, they have to be great." Piero told him.

"I'm working on it" Stefan replied honestly.

"Without Elena?" Piero asked.

Stefan looked down at his feet; "Damon told you about that too huh?"

"Of course he did." Piero said as Stefan averted his gaze. They looked ahead and saw Alessandra walking slowly towards them with a big smile on her face.

"You know..." Piero began; "When I first started dating your grandmother, way back when, I almost let her go. She was just so beautiful and fun and she had such a bright future... and I thought that she deserved better than me. So I plucked up what I thought was courage to tell her that she should forget me, but you know what she did? She laughed. She just laughed at me, sat me down at the table and gave me some dinner. About half way through the meal she said 'Piero, I have never been loved in the way that you have loved me, and I would be a fool to let you walk out that door, just like you would be a coward to try.' All I could do was nod my head and from that day on I swore to never leave her side."

"I never knew that..." Stefan mumbled, knowing where his grandfather was going with this.

"Yeah... I know you think that you're doing Elena a favour by letting her live her life without you, and she probably thinks the same about you. But why waste this time apart? Really what is holding you back? I almost walked away from your grandmother, and I would have had nothing to gain. Don't let love pass you by Stefan, now when it brings out the greatness in both of you." Piero said as Stefan stood to hug his grandmother.

"Steffy, you're so thin! Do you not eat anymore?" Alessandra said as she hugged her grandson.

Stefan laughed knowing he was in very good shape, but in classic grandmother stance, nothing would satisfy her. "I'm eating fine Nonna, just missing some of your cake in my life."

"Well come on, we better go get you some." she said as she hand gestured for Piero to stand up so they could leave.

"Actually..." Stefan started with a small smile; "There's this girl in Mystic Falls that... I need to go tell how much I love her."

Piero and Alessandra's smiles beamed brightly as Piero wrapped an arm around his wife and nodded his head.

"Then I think you're going to need this..." Alessandra said, reaching into her pocket and handing him a ring box. Stefan opened it and his eyes widened when he saw it was his grandma's engagement ring, that had been her mother's before that.

"Nonna... I don't know if I can take this..." Stefan said shaking his head.

"You know, I always liked Elena." Alessandra said with a smile; "She really brought out the man we always knew you were. There's no one that I want to have this ring more."

Stefan nodded and smiled at his grandparents. "I will call you as soon as I get back into town." he said as he kissed his nonna and hugged his nonno.

"Go" Piero said as he rested his hands on Stefan's shoulders, before Stefan smiled and ran through the park.

He had left his car in a car park a short distance away from Salvatore's where Katherine was sitting eating her breakfast and Damon was cleaning the bar. They both watched as Stefan ran past the restaurant with a beaming smile on his face. They looked at each other for a second, before quickly running out after him.

"Stefan!" Damon called and Stefan quickly turned around, but didn't stop moving.

"Hey brother!" Stefan called happily.

"What are you doing?!" Katherine called after him.

"I'm going to get my girl!" Stefan said happily as he turned back around and ran to the car.

Damon and Katherine looked at each other again for a moment, before Katherine said; "We need to get to Mystic Falls."

"Yeah I think we do." Damon said as they ran back inside to get their things.

"I swore I would never go back to that place..." Katherine cursed under her breath.

"This will be good for you Kat..." Damon reassured.

"Yeah we'll see about that. It's a good think I care about Stefan and his life choices. We need to bring your grandparents." Katherine said.

"Why?" Damon asked.

"Something tells me that Stefan's going to do a little more than win her back..." Katherine implied as Damon quickly caught on.

"Gotcha... I'll give them a call." Damon said as they both quickly exited the restaurant.

* * *

It was night time in Mystic Falls and Elena had been busy all day setting up for her dinner party at her parent's house. She was loving the distraction and she was loving her new lease on life, though she knew in her heart she was squashing down the one thing that she knew would make it whole again.

Soon enough, the 6 Gilberts plus Matt, Caroline, Bonnie and Theo were all sitting round for the feast that Elena had prepared. Before they could start, Elena stood up to raise the second toast of the day.

"I want to thank you all for coming and I hope you enjoy the food tonight. You guys mean the world to me and I don't know if there is anything I could do to show you how thankful I am to have you in my life. The past 5 months have been crazy but, we're all here, and ready to take on whatever life is going to throw at us." Elena said. "So... to you guys. Cheers."

They all joined in the chorus of cheers and clinked glasses and started digging into the food. Before they could get very far, they heard the front door open and footsteps quickly approach the dining room. They all looked with wide eyes when they saw the figure at the doorway, and Elena stood from her chair quickly, bashing the table in the process.

"Elena" Stefan said breathlessly.

"Stefan... what are you doing here?" Elena asked confused as she walked towards him.

Stefan looked around the room and saw that Elena's whole family were there and he smiled; "This is good, I actually kinda want them to hear this too." he said.

"What are you talking about?" Elena asked, her mind going crazy over him showing up.

"Wait!" They heard a voice call from outside the door as Katherine, Damon, Piero and Alessandra came rushing in. "If they get to see this whole thing go down then so do we." Katherine said.

"Mr and Mrs Salvatore? Damon? Katherine?! What the hell is going on!?" Elena exclaimed looking all around her for answers but getting nothing.

"Miranda, Grayson," Stefan said looking at Elena's parents, "I am here to say that... I love Elena very much, and it would be my pleasure to take her off your hands."

Elena's eyes narrowed and her mouth opened agap; "Off their hands?" she spat as Stefan smirked awkwardly, knowing that he had hit a nerve with her. It's what he always did, why should his proposal be any different? "Grow up Stefan, If that was a proposal, it sucked!" Elena said as she stomped her foot down. She attempted to walk away but Stefan quickly caught her attention again.

"Elena stop!" he said.

Elena spun back round; "No you stop! You were right, we met, and we fell in love and it was epic... but then the sun came up and reality set in. You made your choice!"

"Yeah. The sun did come and reality did set it in... this is our reality." Stefan said with a smile; "Our reality is that I love you damn much it hurts."

Elena looked at Stefan, unsure what to make of all of this. She had finally accepted that they couldn't be anything, and Elena was stubborn. She wasn't going to just let this happen. She wasn't going to let him walk all over her like he didn't turn her away a few weeks ago.

"Well... I don't love you." she lied as everyone around them scrunched up their faces as Elena's pathetic comeback.

"Oh hush Elena, you do too. You loved him the moment you laid eyes on him when you were 4 years old and pushed you into the pool by accident instead of Robbie." Miranda commented as Elena's mouth fell open and Stefan sniggered remembering that day like it was yesterday.

"Mom! We are a disaster together, we always end in heartbreak!" Elena exclaimed.

"Hold on, we were great together, we were our happiest when we were together." Stefan reminded her.

Grayson took his chance to cut in; "Elena you have been waiting for him to show up the moment you ended things."

"Dad!" Elena shouted as she looked around her shocked; "Whose side are you on?!"

"This is amazing..." Averie said with a little laugh as she began filming the whole thing.

"Miranda, Grayson, I love your daughter, and I would love your blessing to ask her to marry me." Stefan asked as Elena's frustration grew.

"What?! Blessing?! No! Ignore him!" Elena said, but they didn't pay attention to her.

"Do you have a ring?" Miranda asked with a smile.

"Uh yeah..." Stefan said as he reached into his pocket and brought his grandmother's ring out. "Grandma gave it to me not 5 hours ago." Stefan said.

"Mrs Salvatore, no, I can't." Elena said shaking her head, but unable to take her eyes off the beauty of it.

"Of course you can cara mia. course you can." Alessandra encouraged.

Elena remained silent, as Stefan took this opportunity to ask again.

"Elena..."

"No!" Elena said cutting him off, not really believing what was going on here.

"Elena" Stefan said louder, wanting her to stop cutting him off and let him speak.

"Try getting down on one knee Steffy" Robbie adviced as Stefan nodded and did exactly that.

"Robbie, shut up!" Elena exclaimed, but she turned round and Stefan was looking up at her with a beaming smile.

"Elena..." Stefan began again, finally without interruption. "You are my epic love and I think I have pretty much said all the other words so all I need is a lifetime to prove it to you. Will you marry me?" Stefan asked as he held the ring infront of her.

Elena's eyes filled with tears, but she remained stubborn; "No."

Stefan looked at for a minute before saying; "... yes."

Elena glared at him. "No!" she said more forcefully.

"Yes!" Stefan said just as hard as he stood up to face her.

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"NO!"

"God Elena, you are a pain in the ass!" Stefan exclaimed as Elena finally backed down on her nos. "... but will you please be _my_ pain in the ass for the rest of my life." Stefan said as Elena let out a breath and stared at the man she had longed for for so many years. She thought they had made their choice, she thought she needed to move on, but he was standing right in front of her, and a sense of joy and peace ran over her.

"Marry me" Stefan whispered again as his gaze cut through her like a knife.

"Say yes to Steffy mommy!" Elena heard Theo say as she turned around and looked at her son. "Marry Steffy!"

Elena smiled at her son who looked so happy at the prospect of his mom marrying Stefan.

"Theo has spoken." Stefan said with a laugh as he cupped Elena's cheeks in his hands. "Marry me."

Elena looked behind her and into the mirror in the dining room and saw that there was a smile on her face without even realising. Having him here in front of her, having him touching her face like this, breathing in his scent and staring into the eyes she loved more than anything, she felt at home. She felt loved. She felt complete.

"...Yes." she finally whispered out as she rested her head against Stefan's. "Yes!" she said with a giggle as he lifted her up and spun her around and everyone around them erupted in cheers.

He set her down and put the ring on her finger and smiled so brightly at her. "I love you so much." he said, not believing that he finally had the girl.

"I love you too." she said as they kissed causing Robbie to jokingly cover Theo's eyes as he made vomiting sounds.

For the rest of the evening, the Salvatores, the Gilberts and their closest friends, enjoyed each other's company, eating food and catching up and Elena and Stefan were glued at the hip. They went to bed happier than they had ever been, finally feeling like things were falling into place.

* * *

 **Aw finally! Don't forget to review:)**


	10. Saturday

**Again, thank you all for your reviews! You're all great. This chapter is a bit of a filler chapter, but I hope you enjoy! Let me know your thoughts on what may be to come...**

* * *

A few weeks had gone by and Elena and Stefan were basking in their engaged bliss. They decided that they weren't going to rush to get married, it had afterall only been 5 months after Clay, so they saw the engagement as more of a promise of a future together. For now, they were just going to enjoy their time together.

Elena and Stefan lay in Stefan's bed early one Saturday morning. While Elena appeared to be sleeping peacefully, Stefan had his propped up on his hand and was gazing down at Elena. He couldn't quite believe that they had made it here. They had made it to this normality.

"You done staring, Salvatore?" Elena asked, with her eyes still closed.

Stefan furrowed his eyebrows at her; "I mean, I prefer to say gazing, but how could you tell?"

"You think I need to be looking at you to know what you're doing?" Elena asked as she smiled and opened one eye.

"Apparently not." he said as he lent down and brushed noses with her; "hi"

"Hi" she replied as he kissed her.

"I could get very used to waking up to you beside me." Stefan said with a smile.

"Well you better get used to it, cause I have no intention of going anywhere..." she replied as she kissed him again. "How about we grab Theo and head out for some breakfast?" she asked as she climbed out of bed.

"Can't." Stefan replied; "Theo and I actually have a man date today."

Elena eyed Stefan suspiciously; "a man date? What kind of man date?"

"Come on, I'll show you." Stefan said hoping out of bed, taking her hand, and leading her down the stairs.

He lead her down the long corridor on the second floor and they stopped outside a room to the right, opposite the master bathroom.

"Well, this is a lovely door..." Elena teased as Stefan pinched her sides.

"You're funny. Come on." He said opening the door and allowing Elena to walk in.

"So I hate that when you're here, Theo is stuck in one of the boring old boarder's rooms. It's no room for a little boy, so I figured he deserved something a little more fitting. I'm thinking, the bed over here, some cabinets and stuff over there, Theo tells me he loves to read so a nice big book shelf, an area for his toys over there, he has been raving about this soccer ball bean bag that he wants, so he shall get it..." Stefan said as Elena took in the image Stefan was forming in her head. It was the perfect little boy's room.

"This sounds... amazing." she replied.

Stefan smiled, walked towards her and lifted her hands. "I know I said I wanted rid of this place but not when I have you and Theo now. You haven't found a house and I don't want you to because there is one right here waiting for you."

"You want us to move in with you?" Elena asked, failing to hide her smile at the idea.

"Yeah I do. You're staying here most nights anyway, why not make it official? Why not give you and Theo a home?" Stefan said.

"... this would be a pretty kick ass place for him to grow up in." Elena said.

"You bet your ass it would. My man date with Theo was to go and pick some stuff out for his new room." Stefan said.

"I think that sounds like an excellent idea... we would love to move in with you." Elena said as she wrapped her arms around Stefan's neck. "Thank you"

"You don't have to thank me... we're a family now." he said kissing her lighting before hugging her close.

They turned their heads when they heard the door slam open and Theo appear with a bright, smiling face.

"Steffy, stop hugging momma, we have to go get stuff for my new room!" Theo said happily as he ran back out of the room.

Elena and Stefan looked at each other and then laughed. "Well he's excited." Stefan said.

"and it is wonderful to see. Thank you for making him so happy... he really needs someone like you in his life." Elena said sincerely.

"I am happily there for Theo and anything he needs." Stefan said as he kissed her forehead. "What are you going to do today?" he asked as they walked out of the room.

"Uh your Nonna wants to take me out this afternoon. I'm not entirely sure where but I reckon anywhere in Mystic Falls is pretty safe." Elena said.

"Honestly, you never know with my nonna. She is very good at surprises." Stefan said with a smile.

"Do you think they'll stick around in Mystic Falls or head back to New York with Damon?" Elena asked, knowing that Damon was planning on leaving soon.

"I think the only reason they stayed in New York was because Damon and I were there. Mystic Falls is much more their style." Stefan replied.

"What about you? Is Mystic Falls much more your style?" Elena asked as she stopped and stood infront of him.

Stefan reached out and pulled her closer to him by the waist. "Anywhere where you are is much more my style..." he said as he kissed her.

"What about the restaurants? They were your dream Stefan, I don't want you to push them under the rug." Elena said.

"They won't be pushed under the rug, I can travel every now and again to see how things are going. I was also thinking that Richmond could benefit from Salvatore's and Mystic Falls has been due a new cafe since 1979." Stefan joked as Elena sniggered.

"Looks like you've plotted out your next move" Elena replied.

"Yeah. Looks like it." he said as they made their way downstairs and into the kitchen.

When they got there, they saw Theo sitting eating his cereal at the table, Katherine and Robbie drinking coffee by the sink and Averie reading a magazine, perched on the counter top.

"Hm... I didn't realise you'd opened up a hostel Stefan." Elena said sarcastically as she snatched the magazine off Averie and pushed her off the counter, only to get a glare from her younger sister as she sat down at the table.

"Uh... I didn't."

"Well this was called the Salvatore boarding house for a reason..." Katherine reminded them.

"And we're choosing to ignore the fact that it stopped being a boarding house in the late 70s" Robbie added.

"What are you all doing here anyway?" Elena asked as she looked around the fridge for something to eat.

"Stefan's casa es mi casa." Katherine said with a smirk. "I need a place to crash. My parents decided they had enough of me loitering about, think I should go and get a job or something, but I couldn't give them the satisfaction of me actually getting a job, it goes completely against my basic principle of pleasing myself above others." Katherine said seriously, as the others scrunched up their faces at their stubbornness.

"Well luckily for your parents and for you, I have a job proposal." Stefan said as he lifted a piece of paper from the table and handed it to her.

Katherine furrowed her eyebrows at the piece of paper which held a profile of an old store on it. "Stefan if you're trying to get me into real estate, you can think again."

"I'm not trying to get you into real estate, I was thinking of opening a cafe up here, this is a potential location, I was hoping you would go and check it out for me." Stefan told her.

"You trust me to find the perfect location for your cafe?" Katherine asked, surprised Stefan didn't want to check the place out himself.

"Yeah. You're a perfectionist Kat, you won't pick anything that's sub par, you'll know if it has potential." Stefan said as he took a cup of coffee from Elena.

"That's true... ok, I'll do it, I'll be sure to give the estate agent a good grilling too." Katherine said as she set her cup down and strutted out of the kitchen.

"Robbie, go with her and make sure she doesn't completely ruin our chances." Stefan asked as Robbie laughed and nodded.

"You're lucky I love you Steffy, otherwise there's no way you would be able to send me into the lion's den with Katherine." Robbie said as he high fived Stefan on the way out the door.

"And what's your reason for being here Ave?" Elena asked as she turned to her sister. "A reason that is no doubt highly valid."

"I was bored. That's... quite literally it." Averie replied with a pout.

"It's only 10am" Elena said with a laugh.

"Yeah that's how pathetic my life is right now." Averie replied.

"Well... Lincoln's coming back into town today. You could hang with him." Elena suggested.

"Yeah over my dead body." Averie replied with a smirk.

"That's too bad, cause he's on the way over here to help paint Theo's new room, and I told him you were going to help!" Elena said with an awkward smile.

"You have got to be kidding me." Averie said as her jaw fell to the floor. "I am not spending a day with Lincoln!"

"Come on, it'll be fun! Just... don't spill the paint all over him, that stuff is expensive." Elena said. "You can get a t-shirt and shorts from the drawer in Stefan's room." Elena told her.

"Elena..." Averie said between her teeth.

"Do it for Theo, he's so excited about getting this room, aren't you honey?" Elena said running a hand through Theo's hair.

"Yeah Auntie Ave! Please help Unkie Linc!" Theo begged.

"... you're lucky I love you Theo otherwise I would be telling Lincoln to take his paint brushes and stick them where the sun don't shine." Averie said as she stormed out of the room.

"You're such a meddler." Stefan said with a laugh.

"They're good for each other." Elena said with a shrug.

"All they do is bicker" Stefan reminded her.

"They bicker because they care." Elena replied. "Just like you and I used to..." she reminded him.

"That's true..." Stefan said with a snigger.

"They're functionally dysfunctional." Elena said. "I'm going to get dressed. You boys have fun today!" Elena said as she kissed them both.

"Ew mommmm!" Theo exclaimed as he wiped her kiss off his cheek.

"Yeah Elena that's so gross..." Stefan teased as he too wiped the kiss from his cheek, getting a high five from Theo.

Elena rolled her eyes and laughed. "I'll see you boys later."

* * *

Katherine and Robbie made their way through the town centre of Mystic Falls together to view the location for the cafe. They had always had a relatively tense relationship, due to jealousy over the other's friendship with Stefan, but Katherine always had a soft spot for Robbie, and throughout high school, she would try to get him to give in to her, but to no avail.

Katherine scrunched up her nose as she observed the town; "I forgot how much I hated this place." she said as she kicked a piece of rubbish away with her shoe.

"You only hate it because it brings back bad memories." Robbie replied, though Katherine wasn't really looking for a response.

"Of what?"

"Rejection. From both me and Stefan." Robbie said with a smirk.

Katherine rolled her eyes; "don't flatter yourself."

"You mean to tell me that you weren't in love with Stefan in high school?" Robbie asked her unconvinced.

"... I will admit that there was a time when I thought Stefan and I were meant to be together but when I saw how in love with Elena he was, I quickly shook that out of my system." Katherine said.

"You tried to sabotage Stefan and Elena from the start, I'm surprised you're not doing it now." Robbie replied.

"I didn't say I realised instantly that he was in love with Elena..." Katherine replied with a raised eyebrow. "And I don't need to sabotage it now, it's probably going to collapse on it's loney lonesome." she finished as she hissed through her teeth.

"and it's your friendly support that is really going to get them through." Robbie said with an eyeroll.

"You know Robbie, if I remember correctly, you weren't too keen on the idea of Stefan and Elena either..." Katherine said, as she decided to take a trip down memory lane.

 _11 years ago_

 _Katherine sat in the grill with her sunglasses on, attempting to nurse what she thought was the worst hang over of her life. Stefan had thrown one of his killer parties last night and she was paying the consequences this morning as usual. As the waiter brought over her coffee, Robbie quickly sat in the booth opposite her, not looking too happy._

 _"Robbie... I am severley hung over right now and your intense stare is seriously hurting my head, please go away." Katherine said as she rested her head in her hand._

 _"Did you know about Stefan and Elena?" Robbie asked, not caring at all about Katherine's state._

 _"What about them?" Katherine said tiredly._

 _"That they were together... that they have been together for quite some time." Robbie said sitting back in the booth._

 _"Oh that... yeah I knew." Katherine said with a shrug. "Is that all?"_

 _"Am I the only one who didn't know?!" Robbie said loudly as Katherine smacked him on the arm._

 _"Robbie geez! Hushed. Voices. Please. And no one knows, I'm the only one who did know, and it wasn't because Stefan wanted to tell me, I worked it out, those two were not subtle." Katherine replied._

 _"Obviously subtle enough, this is my best friend and my sister we're talking about, how could I not know?" Robbie said._

 _"Cause you're an idiot. I'm guessing you're not happy about it." Katherine said sighing as she placed her sunglasses on her head._

 _"I don't know what to think about it... they love each other Katherine. This is the real deal." Robbie said as Katherine's head shot up._

 _"Love? I don't know Robbie, Stefan doesn't really do love..." Katherine said, her words trailing off._

 _"He does with Elena. I know he's never been a relationship guy so... I have to believe that this actually means something to him. They've been together for 6 months Katherine."_

 _"Stefan gets bored easily, he'll move on, you'll get your precious baby sister Elena back don't worry." Katherine said with an eyeroll._

 _"I can't let him hurt her Kat..." Robbie said as he shook his head._

 _"Well," Katherine said standing up; "if you need a partner to do some sabotaging, you know where to find me. If not... suck it up." she said before putting her sunglasses on and strutting away._

"You never did come and find me for some sabotaging..." Katherine said as she stopped and looked at him. "I was quite disappointed."

"I almost did but uh... I saw them laughing outside the house that afternoon and... they just looked so happy. Who was I to screw that up for them?" Robbie said with a shrug.

"Well aren't you saint like." Katherine teased. "Turns out they didn't need anyone else to sabotage it for them because Stefan went into self sabotage mode, then Elena went into self sabotage mode, then back to Stefan... i guess it's Elena's turn next."

"Not this time Katherine. There's nothing holding them back."

"There's always going to be something. Mark my words."

* * *

"Hey Theo, what about this one?" Stefan said as he held up a bean bag for Theo to inspect.

"Yeah, I like it!" Theo said with certainty.

"Well then we're getting it" Stefan said with a smile as he put it in the trolley and the boys kept walking through the store. "What else do you think we need?"

"This ball" Theo said as he lifted it from the shelf.

"Hm... we could have some pretty epic soccer matches with this..." Stefan said as he passed the ball between his hands.

"Will you be on my team against Unkie Rob and Unkie Jer?" Theo asked as he held onto the side of the trolley.

"Of course I will bud. Though, I think you could definitely take them on and win without me." Stefan said as Theo giggled.

"Yeah they're not very good..." Theo said, relishing in the praise Stefan was giving him. Stefan knew that he never heard things like this from Clay, so he wanted to be that figure in his life.

A short while later, Stefan and Theo were packing away their new purchases into the car, and Theo smiled when he remembered all that he had gotten. Elena had said to Stefan before they left that she couldn't remember the last time Theo was this excited about something, and it as Stefan's pleasure to make it as exciting as it could be.

"Right that's the last of it. Let's get you buckled up." Stefan said as he lifted Theo, opened the back door and set him in his booster seat.

"Steffy, can I ask you something?" Theo asked.

Stefan leaned back and looked at Theo; "Of course you can, what's up?" he asked.

"Mommy said that daddy did some bad things so he had to go away for a while... do you think he's ever going to come back?" Theo asked.

Stefan looked sympathetically at the little boy. He was too little to fully comprehend what was going on, but he knew that something bad had happened. He didn't know what questions he could ask, he didn't know what was going to happen next, and that clearly scared him.

"Uh... I don't really know Theo. What I do know is that you don't have to worry about anything." Stefan said.

"I don't want him to come back." Theo said surprising Stefan. Even if Theo didn't have the best relationship with Clay, there was a certain idolisation that a lot of little boys had to their fathers. This was clearly something Theo didn't have.

"Why not?" Stefan asked.

"He wasn't nice to mommy and... he never spent any time with me. All my friends have nice daddies, why couldn't I have one too?" Theo said sadly.

Stefan sighed, wanting to take the pain that Theo was feeling away. He was too young to feel like he wasn't wanted. "Theo... don't be sad. Your daddy may not be a nice man and you may not have him around to play with but you know what you do have? You have me. I will always be there for you no matter what."

"Just like you're there for mommy?" Theo asked as his eyes lit up, knowing how happy Stefan made Elena.

Stefan smiled; "Yeah just like I'm there for mommy. I love you both very much." Stefan reassured.

"We love you too Steffy... thanks for my new room!" Theo said happily.

Stefan sniggered; "That's ok buddy... let's get you home." he said as he buckled Theo in and got into the front seat.

He would happily be a father figure to Theo and he knew Elena would want that too. Everything seemed to be falling into place, but he couldn't shake the feeling that it was all too good to be true.

* * *

Elena walked into a vintage shop on the edge of town, where Alessandra had asked her to meet her. She looked around her for a second, before seeing that the shop was completely empty.

"Mrs Salvatore?" Elena called as she tried to spot her. "Hello?" she said, but no one appeared. She figured she was running late, so she decided to look around a little bit.

She saw beautiful ornament and ceramics. Old books and boxes, the stuff was beautiful.

"You know, a lot of this used to be in the Salvatore house." Elena heard a voice behind her say, as she jumped slightly before turning round and seeing Alessandra. "Oh sorry dear I didn't mean to scare you." Alessandra apologised.

"No, it's ok." Elena assured her. "This stuff is beautiful... you said it was once in the house?" Elena asked.

"Yes, before Lily and Giuseppe died, Damon and Stefan were getting into an awful habit of breaking things around the house and there was just too much Salvatore history in that house to allow it all to be broken. So they took a lot of it out of the house and made a store out of it. Well, I'm not sure I would call it a store, they never actually allowed anyone to buy anything. Just admire." Alessandra said as she ran her fingers along some ornaments. "It's all gathered a bit of dust since they passed on." she finished sadly.

"Maybe we could bring some of it back to the house." Elena suggested.

"Oh no honey, this stuff has no place in a young couple's house like yourselves." Alessandra assured. "I've been telling the boys for years to redecorate that place but they think the history is too important."

"It's a beautiful house." Elena agreed.

"Yes but I trust you'll make a few changes once you officially move in." Alessandra said with a wink as Elena giggled.

"Maybe just a few..." Elena replied.

"Well there are a few things here that I wanted to give to you. If I can find them that is..." Alessandra said as she started to look around. She walked over to the bookshelves and lifted a tatty book out and brushed some of the dust off it. "The way to a Salvatore's house is through his stomach. Italian roots demand it." she said as she handed Elena the book. "This recipe book has been in the family for years. It belonged to Piero's grandmother, then his mother, then me, then Lily... so now it's your turn."

Elena smiled as she took the book and flicked through it; "Stefan always raves about his mom's spaghetti and her cake... now it's all here."

"Well the secret recipes now lie in your hands." Alessandra said as she continued to walk round the shop. "There is one more thing, if I can get my hands on it... ah ha." she said as she reached for a basket and pulled a blanket out of it. "Now this is special..." she said with a smile. "This was a baby blanket that Piero's grandmother made for him and it has been passed down through the family. Every time a baby boy got it, they stitched their initial into it." Alessandra explained as she held up the stitched end for Elena to see.

"P, G, D... S... so this was Stefan's baby blanket?" Elena asked.

"Yes and he wouldn't go anywhere without this thing... now it's yours, for any future Salvatores you may have." Alessandra said suggestively as she handed Elena the blanket. "Elena, I don't know what your future with Stefan will hold entirely... but I do know that it will be one filled with happiness. Don't panic about what is to come, take things as they come, enjoy your time together, relish in the little moments." Alessandra encouraged with a soft smile.

Elena smiled softly back at Alessandra. She knew she had a bright future with Stefan, everything about being with him felt good. While it scared her a little that she didn't know what was to come, she felt comfort in knowing that Stefan would be by her side through anything and everything.

"Thank you for showing me all of this Mrs Salvatore." Elena said sincerely.

Alessandra smiled; "Elena please, call me Nonna." she said with a wink.

* * *

Averie opened the door to the Salvatore house and was greeted by a smirking Lincoln.

"Averie, so nice to see you." he said as he stepped into the house.

"Wish I could say the same about you." she replied as she closed the door and walked in front of him.

"Ave you could make it a little less obvious that you want me, plus, this is Stefan's house, it would be totally disrespectful!" Lincoln teased.

"Are you deliberately looking for me to knock a few of your teeth out or...?" Averie asked pretending to be confused.

"Oh come on Ave, we were friends once upon a time, why can't we be friends again?" Lincoln asked as they walked upstairs.

"Because you are bad, bad news. We are toxic when we are even in the same room together, you are the fuel to my fire, you always have been." Averie said as they walked into Theo's room.

"I have matured."

"I find that hard to believe." Averie said rolling her eyes.

"I run a bank now." Lincoln reminded her.

"Your daddy runs the bank, all you have to do is smile and look pretty" Averie shot back.

Lincoln smiled; "You think I'm pretty?"

"Oh shut up" Averie said throwing a paint brush at him.

"Since when did you lose your sense of humour? Look, I'm not here to get you all hot and bothered though I know that's a natural response-" he teased

"Then why are you here?" Averie said quickly cutting him off.

"To see Elena and Theo." Lincoln replied simply.

"I know you Lincoln, there's always something more in it for you." Averie said as she rested her hands on her hips.

Lincoln sighed; "I uh... I need to talk to Elena about something." he said.

"What is it?" Averie pried further.

"Is your name Elena? No I didn't think so..." Lincoln replied as he opened the paint canister.

"Can't be a good thing if you're keeping it a secret." Averie said as she poured some paint into a box to take to the other side of the room.

"It's about Clay." Lincoln confessed.

Averie stood up straighter; "Well then it's definitely not good. I thought he got sent down for 7 years?"

"He did but uh... he's trying to appeal it." Lincoln explained.

"There's no way a judge is going to let him out after what he did." Averie said folding her arms.

"In theory a judge shouldn't..." Lincoln said looking down at his feet.

"... What are you not telling me Lincoln?" Averie said walking closer towards him.

"I don't know what's going to happen Averie, but you know Clay, you know what he's capable of." Lincoln said.

"What does that mean Lincoln?" Averie said louder, growing more exacerbated by the second.

"It means he's not going to stop until he gets out! He has contacts Averie, he has charm! Money means power, you know that." Lincoln said seriously.

"He got sent down once, it can happen again!" Averie replied.

"I'm not so sure about that. He's getting out Averie, and he's going to come gunning for Elena when he does."

Averie shook her head; "Elena is finally happy Lincoln. We can't let him destroy her."

"Clay's smart... no matter what we do... he'll find a way."

* * *

Stefan lay in bed that night reading a book when Elena walked out of the bathroom, lent on the door frame and smiled brightly at Stefan. He looked so calm sitting there with his bare torso, engrossed in his book. Though Elena knew it wouldn't take a lot to divert his attention to her.

"Theo can't wait for the paint to dry in his room, he wants to move in as soon as possible. I'm worried that he's never going to leave it." Elena joked as Stefan smirked and set his book down on the night stand.

"We'll get him in there in the next couple of days. Katherine and Robbie told me that the location is good for the cafe, so I placed an offer, hopefully it will all come through." Stefan said. "Did you have a nice day with nonna?"

"I had the best day with nonna... which she now wants me to call her by the way." Elena said as she settled into bed beside him.

"Yeah she was never one for formalities." Stefan said with a laugh.

"She actually gave me the secret Salvatore cook book... it has your moms spaghetti in it, the one you always raved about." Elena said.

Stefan smiled "My god I loved that spaghetti... problem is though, you can't cook."

"Hey!" Elena said swatting him in the stomach. "I'm getting better at it, did you not see the feast I made for my family when you came bashing though the door with a big romantic proposal?"

"I can't say the food was what was on my mind that evening..." Stefan replied.

"I'm sure it won't hold a shadow on your mom's but... I can try." Elena said to which Stefan nodded sincerely. "Do you miss your parents?"

"... yeah I do. I was still pretty young when they died. I would have loved to have more time with them but, it wasn't meant to be." Stefan replied sadly.

"They would be really proud of you Stefan. Both you and Damon, you've achieved so much." Elena assure him.

"You would have been their favourite part of me no doubt... you know, Theo was asking questions today, about Clay." Stefan told her.

Elena's face fell; "What kind of questions?"

"He just wanted to know if he was ever coming back... and why he didn't have a good daddy like the rest of his friends."

Elena looked down at her hands, she felt so much pain for Theo and what he didn't have. "I hate that this is so painful for him... he's too young to think that he isn't loved."

Stefan said up straighter and cupped Elena's cheeks in his hands; "Elena, Theo will never feel unloved. Not when he has you... and me. I want to be what Clay never was to him. I want him to know what it's like to have that father figure in his life. I will always be there for him... no matter what." Stefan assured her as Elena allowed a tear to fall down her cheek.

"I love you so much." she said as they rested foreheads.

"I love you more." Stefan replied as he softly kissed her, and allowed her to rest against his shoulder. "I don't know what our future is going to hold Elena. Life is never easy but it also has so many joys... we're all going to be ok, because we have each other, and nothing is going to change that."

"Nothing will ever change that..." Elena said sleepily as she drifted off into a blissful sleep, with Stefan by her side.

* * *

 **Don't forget to review!**


	11. Boy Toy Auctions and Strip Basketball

**_Thank you so much for all of your reviews! I'm so glad people are enjoying reading this as much as I am enjoying writing it. This is a slightly shorter chapter. A little bit of calm before the storm... enjoy!_**

* * *

 _11 years ago_

 _Elena stood at her locker in Mystic Falls High setting her books back before heading home, when Caroline walked up beside her and smacked a flyer on the locker._

 _"Elena Gilbert I hope you are excited because I sure as hell am." Caroline said with a smirk as Elena took the flyer from her hands and read it_

 _"Boy toy auction... this outta be good." Elena said._

 _"The cheerleading squad are organising this little event to raise some funds to give the town a little bit of a face lift. It's dying a death, it's about time someone did something about it." Caroline replied._

 _"And of course a boy toy auction was the go to" Elena said with a little laugh._

 _"Oh absolutely, we have some fine bachelors in this town, just ready for the picking. And... non bachelors, I persuaded Matt to take part, but I have no problem rigging it so I get him." Caroline said with with a sly smile. "You are coming right?"_

 _"I will be there Caroline, don't worry, have to support the squad and all that." Elena assured her as Caroline gave her a thankful smile before moving in the other direction._

 _Elena closed her locker and turned to leave when she ran straight into Stefan who was smirking at her._

 _"What are you smirking at?" Elena asked as she stepped back a bit._

 _"You in that cheerleading uniform." Stefan smiled as Elena couldn't help but smile back._

 _"Chaming" she replied sarcastically she said as she walked on._

 _"Where you heading?" he asked as he caught up with her._

 _"Home. I need to mentally prepare myself for what could go down tonight at the boy toy auction." Elena replied as they walked out the front door of the school._

 _"Yeah Katherine hounded Robbie and I until we agreed to take part... I wanted to make sure that you were cool with it." Stefan asked, wanting to show Elena the respect she deserved, even if this whole thing was just a bit of a joke._

 _"Well it wouldn't be a boy toy auction without the Salvatore Gilbert duo." Elena replied as she stopped and looked at him. "It's fine Stefan, I trust you and it's not like it's a proper date."_

 _"I promise I will be on my best behaviour." he said holding his hands up._

 _Elena smirked; "don't make promises you can't keep..." she said as she walked closer towards him and whispered in his ear; "because if I win you? That is the last thing I want you to do. I'll see you later Salvatore." she said as she pushed off from his chest. What was this girl doing to him?_

 _Later that night, Elena walked into the grill and saw Stefan standing by the bar with the guys being auctioned off. She raised her eyebrows at him as he tipped his head and downed his drink causing her to giggle. They both knew all the two cougars would be out tonight hoping to snag an evening with one of the guys, which made Stefan nervous and Elena laugh._

 _"Elena!" she heard Caroline call as she turned around and came face to face with her best friend._

 _"Hey, what's going on?" Elena asked as Caroline dragged her over to the other girls._

 _"How would you feel about interviewing the guys tonight?" Caroline asked._

 _"Uh... sure, but why me? Isn't this something Katherine would want to do?" Elena asked, knowing as head cheerleader, Katherine liked to take charge of just about everything._

 _"She has put herself in charge of organising the boys and making sure they look smart, which is going to be a task, so we need you to do the questioning." Caroline said as she handed her a piece of paper. "Here are the questions, good luck."_

 _Elena nodded as folded the piece of paper and turned to walk away, but she was stopped in her tracks by Jeremy, Lincoln and a mystery guy._

 _"Hey Elena" Jeremy said as Elena smiled at the boys. "You remember Lincoln's older brother Clay right?" Jeremy said as Elena looked at the man who was smirking down at her._

 _"Vaguely..." Elena said as the pair shook hands._

 _"Understandable it's been a while." Clay replied, his eyes glued to hers the whole time._

 _"Clay's just passing through town from Richmond university, he's a sophomore there." Lincoln explained._

 _"Well you chose a good day to come, the boy toy auction is always a sight to behold." Elena joked as Clay chuckled._

 _"I have no doubt about that." Clay replied._

 _"We're going to shoot some pool, why don't you buy Elena a drink Clay." Lincoln suggested as he and Jeremy walked away._

 _"Yeah can I get you anything?" Clay asked._

 _"Oh no I'm ok, I have to be on stage soon anyway, I'm interviewing the guys." Elena explained._

 _"Oh cool. I'll look forward to seeing you up there Elena, I'm sure you'll be a natural." he said with a smoldering look._

 _Elena knew Clay was flirting with her, and he seemed like quite the charmer, but Elena was only going to humour it._

 _"We'll see... I'll catch you later." Elena said as she smiled and walked away. Before she could get very far, she was stopped by Katherine._

 _"Who was that hottie?" Katherine asked staring over at Clay._

 _"Clay Browning, he's Lincoln Browning's older brother." Elena explained._

 _"Hm a Browning... I've always wanted one of those..." Katherine said with a seductive smirk as she walked away. Elena shook her head and laughed as she watched Katherine strut over to Clay and flirt with him. He looked pretty receptive, but Elena figured Clay was the sort of person who would flirt with anyone._

 _Robbie walked over to Stefan as he downed another drink at the bar and chuckled._

 _"You look like you're preparing for the worst." Robbie said. "How are you getting away with all these drinks? You're 18."_

 _"The drunker the better Robbie and... these guys owe me a favour." Stefan said as he smirked at the bar tenders._

 _"I'm not even going to ask..." Robbie said as he sat at the bar stool. "Did you ask Elena if she was cool with this?"_

 _"Yeah, she was fine with it, she trusts me." Stefan replied as he sat beside him._

 _"Is she right to trust you?" Robbie asked seriously._

 _"... of course she is Robbie." Stefan said looking seriously back at his friend. "Look, I know the idea of us together freaks you out a bit Rob but I swear I would never do anything to hurt her. I'm crazy about her man, I've never felt this way before."_

 _Robbie nodded; "That's good... cause I would beat your ass if you did hurt her. Best friend or not, this is my sister."_

 _Stefan held his hands up; "Dude I would want you to beat me up."_

 _"Ok... glad we're on the same page..." Robbie said awkwardly as Stefan laughed, patted him on the shoulder and walked away._

 _A short while later, the auction had begun, and it was Stefan's turn to be interviewed._

 _"And now for the man all you ladies have been waiting for, Mystic Fall's resident brooder, the Salvatore to Robbie's Gibert, Stefan Salvatore!" Katherine introduced as everyone cheered._

 _Stefan walked onto the stage and waved to everyone, sat down beside Elena, who was trying to hold in her laughter at the attention Stefan was getting. After everyone quietened down, Elena looked at her page and began asking the questions._

 _"Ok Stefan;" she began, "What would be your ideal date?"_

 _"Well Elena, my ideal date would have to be a long, romantic stroll on the beach, followed by a candle lit dinner and then out for some ice cream in the town square." he said seriously. Elena mentally rolled her eyes, knowing that was the exact opposite of what Stefan would want to do. He would want to go skinny dipping at the beach, hot dogs for dinner and head home for a different kind of dessert..._

 _"Sounds great." Elena said with fake enthusiasm that Stefan saw right through. "Next question..." Elena said as she looked down at the sheet. She smiled when she saw the question; "... have you ever been in love before?"_

 _Stefan smiled; "Now that would be telling Elena."_

 _"Come on, the ladies want to know."_

 _Stefan nodded, knowing full well that Elena was teasing him. "I have been in love before Elena... and it's the best feeling in the world." he said sincerly, as all the women in the audience 'awed' at him._

 _"Ok, that's enough questions." Katherine said, thinking she was going to be sick at Stefan's soppiness. "Let's start the bidding at $20."_

 _Stefan eventually went for $500 to Mrs Veronica Fell, the town's most notorious cougar, and Stefan visibly gulped when Katherine sold him to her. It was certainly going to be a long night._

 _Later on Elena was standing at the bar waiting for her drink when Clay approached her and lent on the bar facing her._

 _"Elena, you were really good up there." he said._

 _"Oh thanks, it was no big deal." she said with a shrug. "I saw you talking to Katherine earlier." Elena said with a smirk._

 _"Uh yeah, she's quite something. She a friend of yours?" he asked._

 _"I wouldn't exactly say friend..." Elena replied._

 _"I see... she wanted to hang out sometime but I uh, I couldn't do that until I tried my luck with you." he said with a smirk. "and I'm feeling pretty lucky" he said with arrogance in his voice._

 _Elena laughed awkwardly; "I'm flattered, really but uh... I'm not on the market." she said._

 _"You sure about that?" he replied._

 _"... I have never been sure about anything in my life." she replied, talking about more than just being taken. She was more sure about the love she had for Stefan than anything else._

 _"I see... but, I don't like to give up, so... one day." Clay said before turning and leaving the bar._

 _Elena watched as he left, not quite sure if she had ever seen someone so cocky in her life, despite the certain element of charm he had about him. She scoffed as she took her drink and turned around, only to come face to face with Stefan, who was leaning on the table behind him, with his arms crossed and a small smile on his face._

 _"Hey..." she said cautiously, not knowing what he had heard Clay said to her. "You ok?"_

 _"I'm just... thankful." he replied._

 _"What for?"_

 _"You could have any guy in the world, yet you chose me." he said as Elena smiled._

 _"It wasn't a choice." she replied honestly. You can't help who you love._

 _"Did you really mean that you were so sure about us?" Stefan asked._

 _"Of course I did. You're it for me Stefan, I just know it." Elena said quietly so that no one else could hear._

 _"and you're it for me... though now you have a bit of competition in Veronica Fell." Stefan joked as Elena laughed._

 _"Yeah she can keep dreaming." Elena replied as she smirked at Stefan and walked over to Caroline._

 _Stefan watched after her, not quite believing that she was his, and he swore that he would never take that for granted._

* * *

Elena walked through the town square late one Thursday evening after Stefan had texted her telling her to meet him at the centre of town. She was curious with what Stefan had planned, and between moving into the Salvatore house, work and Theo, she was glad to have some time with just the two of them.

She approached the monument in the middle of the town and saw Stefan standing there with two hot dogs.

"Hey" she greeted as he turned and smiled when he saw her.

"Hey yourself." he greeted as he kissed her. "A hot dog with everything for you" he said as he handed it to her.

"Hm you read my mind... how did you get these, it's past midnight?" she asked before she took a bite out of the hot dog.

"The guys at the grill owe me a favour." he said with a smirk.

"Ah the same favour they've owed you since you were 18?" Elena asked with a little laugh.

"It's a big favour." he replied.

"So what are we doing out here so late?" Elena asked as they started walking.

"I was thinking about the boy toy auction in my senior year..." he said as Elena laughed.

"When you scored a date with Veronica Fell." she said, remembering the night well.

"Yep... that was an interesting date." Stefan said with a little chuckle.

"That was an interesting night." Elena said, stressing the word night. "That uh... that was the night I met Clay. Officially, I'd seen him around before but that's when we were introduced." Elena said. "He was so arrogant and smug... I was an idiot to ever think I could make something work with him." she said sadly.

"Clay is a bastard but he's a bastard that is out of your life for good. So why we are here... I was thinking about when you asked me what my perfect date would be and I lied through my teeth, but I also swore that one day I would take you on my idea of an actual perfect date, starting with hot dogs." he said as he wiped a bit of mustard from the corner of Elena's mouth.

"Well I'm glad we're finally getting round to it 11 years later." Elena teased.

"11 years too long... I'm never letting you go again Elena. We are going to have many more dates like this." he said sincerely as Elena smiled softly at him.

"Absolutely... so what's next on this date?" she asked as they kept walking.

"You'll see when we get there" Stefan said.

"Very mysterious..."

"Just keeping you on your toes." he replied as he wrapped his arm around her and continued to walk.

Eventually, the couple made it to the park on the edge of own, and Stefan led Elena to the basketball court. Stefan walked over to the bench and picked up the ball that was sitting there and threw it to her. Elena eyed Stefan in confusion.

"Your idea of a perfect date is playing basketball and getting me all sweaty and gross?" Elena asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Aw babe you could never be gross to me." he replied teasingly as Elena stuck her tongue out at him.

"My idea of a perfect date... involved strip basketball." he said as he took the ball from Elena's hands and threw it through the net. "Basically, you shoot and if you miss you lose an item of clothing. First person to be naked loses." he said with a smirk.

Elena's mouth fell open as she looked around her to see if other people were about, then she remembered how late it was. "Stefan Salvatore, we are out in public not to mention we are supposed to be mature adults." Elena replied.

"Oh come on Elena, no one is here! Let's be kids for just one night. Let's live." Stefan said.

Elena smiled and shook her head; "You're on Salvatore."

A short while later, Stefan and Elena were lying on the basketball court in just their underwear, laughing.

"You were way worse at that than I thought you would be." Elena said laughing.

"I was distracted by you getting naked in front of me..." Stefan defended.

"Yeah blame me" Elena said rolling her eyes.

"I'm sorry we never got to do this in high school." Stefan said sincerely as he turned his head to look at her.

"It's ok Stefan... it's not like we had a crappy year together, it was probably one of the best years of my life." Elena replied.

"... mine too. I wish I hadn't screwed it up." Stefan replied quietly.

"We were kids, I- I don't really blame you. Despite the bad, a lot of good came from it too. You have your restaurants, I have Theo and my job... it wasn't our time then, but it is now."

"We have a life time to make up for the past 11 years." Stefan said.

"Too right we do." Elena said as Stefan kissed the tip of her nose. "What is the final portion of the date? Wait! I could probably guess..."

"Oh really? You think you know me that well?" Stefan said with a laugh.

"I know you better than you know yourself Salvatore." Elena said as she sat up, and Stefan soon followed her. "I'm guessing... dessert." Elena said.

"What kind of dessert?"

"Dessert Salvatore style, which I believe probably involves a bottle of whipped cream and us completely naked." she said as she stood up, and Stefan looked her up and down.

"Man you are good." Stefan said with a gulp.

"You bet your ass I am. Shall we?" she said as Stefan stood up, picked up their clothes and grabbed her hand.

"Absolutely."

* * *

The following Friday morning, Averie made her way round to Elena, Matt and Caroline's law firm, determined to find out if what Lincoln said about Clay getting out had any grounds for truth. She didn't want to scare anyone, but they needed to be prepared for something happening.

She walked round to Matt's office, expertly avoiding Elena, and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Matt called and Averie walked in. "Averie, hey. What brings you by?" he asked as she sat at the seat in front of his desk.

"I have a question... about Clay." she said cautiously.

Matt looked at her curiously; "What about him?" he asked.

"Do you think there's anyway he could get out sooner than he's supposed to?"

"I don't think so, he clear as crystal broke the law and he has to pay for that." Matt replied. "Why do you ask?"

"... Lincoln is under the impression that Clay's trying to get out and he's going to succeed." Averie replied quietly.

"There's no way a judge would over turn his conviction."

"Clay has connections Matt, money is power, would you really be that surprised if he did?" Averie said.

"I can't believe that he will get out Averie, not after everything he put Elena through." Matt replied.

"I know that, it's not something that any of us want to facilitate, but it's a reality Matt, Clay always wins." Averie said as she sat back in her chair.

"Not this time. I'll see if he's filing an appeal and if he is... I'll do everything to keep him in. Let's not panic about this when we don't even know what's going on." Matt said as he ran a hand over his face.

"Ok... if I can do anything, please let me know." Averie said as she stood from her chair.

"For now, if Lincoln says anything else, just give me a call." Matt replied.

"Ok, I'll see you later." Averie said as she left the office.

She walked by Elena's office and saw her resting her head in her hands with her eyes closed. She laughed lightly before leaning on the door frame.

"You ok sis?" Averie said, causing Elena to jump lightly and wake up.

"Oh hi uh... yeah, I'm good, late night." Elena replied as she ran her hands through her hair, trying to make herself look a little more presentable.

"Oh say no more." Averie said wiggling her eyebrows.

"Get your mind out of the gutter Averie." Elena replied.

"Don't lead me there then" she replied.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Elena asked as Averie walked into the room.

"Oh nothing, I was bored just through I'd come and say hi..." Averie lied, not wanting to freak Elena out.

"Right... why don't you call Lincoln up, I'm sure he would love to hang with you." Elena said with a smirk.

"You're funny. I think painting Theo's room together was enough to last us a life time." Averie replied.

"I wouldn't be so sure Averie, something tells me you just won't be able to stay away from each other."

"Just like you and Stefan weren't able to?"

Elena giggled and smiled like a school girl with a crush; "Yeah"

Averie smiled; "It's nice seeing you so happy Elena. You really deserve to be happy."

"I am happy" Elena replied sincerely.

"Good... I better get going, let you go back to sleep or do some work, whatever you fancy." Averie said. "Have a good day."

"Bye Ave." Elena said as her sister left.

Averie made her way downstairs and out of the building when she heard her phone rang. She lifted it out of her pocket and saw that it was an out of area number. She answered it carefully

"Hello?"

"Hello Averie. I hear you've been asking some questions about me."

The voice on the other end of the line sent shivers down Averie's spine. What was _he_ doing calling her?

"Clay... how the hell did you get this number?" Averie spat.

"Let's just say I have some... perks that some of the other prisoners don't have." Clay replied and Averie could feel him smirking down the phone.

"Of course you do. What the hell do you want?"

"I want you to stop running to Donovan about me."

"Yeah like hell. I'm not giving you any opportunity to get out Clay. You don't deserve it, not for one second. How do you even know I went to Matt?" Averie said, growing angrier by the second.

"You think I don't have people watching you all for me?"

"Lincoln?" Averie said, hurt that he would do such a thing, especially after how nice Elena had been to him.

"Like I would trust Lincoln to do my dirty work... Averie, I'm Clayton Browning, I always, find a way to get what I want. I'm getting out, whether anyone likes it or not, and let's just say Elena's gonna pay for what she did to me."

"She didn't do anything Clay, you're the one who screwed up her life."

"Well then I guess I better not leave that little task unfinished. Stop getting in the way Averie, or I'm bringing you and your family down with her." Clay said, before the line went dead.

* * *

Averie struggled over what to do with Clay's information all day, she paced back and forth in her bedroom for what felt like hours. Eventually at around 9pm that night, she grabbed her coat and got in her car and drove straight towards the Salvatore house.

She took a deep breath, preparing herself to bring Elena and Stefan's perfect world crashing down. She got out of the car and walked straight into the house and into the living room, where Stefan and Elena were sitting on the sofa reading.

"Averie, hey." Elena said putting her book down. "What's going on?"

"Clay phoned me today" Averie said straight away.

Elena stood from her seat as her face fell. "... what?"

"He's trying to get out of jail Elena... and I think he's going to do it."

* * *

 **Don't forget to review!**


	12. How Far Would You Go?

**Clay really goes to extremes in this chapter... hope you enjoy!**

* * *

A few days had passed and Elena was sitting in constant fear of Clay getting out and causing some damage. No one was sure what lengths he would go to to get revenge against Elena for what she did, but they were all confident that it would leave Elena and probably her family in a damaged and broken situation.

Matt had been working around the clock to ensure that Clay wasn't going to get out, but he was finding it more difficult than anticipated to get information on him. It was like someone was blocking his every move. He stood at his desk one afternoon looking at all the files infront of him, debating what his next move should be, when his receptionist walked into his office.

"Hey Matt, the security footage that you requested is here. From outside the jail?" she said as she handed him the DVD.

"Thanks Ellen" he said as he quickly took the disc and waited for her to leave the room before watching it. Just as he was about to hit play, Caroline walked in and gave him a confused look.

"What security footage is Ellen talking about?" Caroline asked.

"It's from outside the jail Clay is in. I can't get any information on him, someone is blocking me, he could be out already for all we know, I figured we could maybe get him walking through the front doors." Matt told her.

"Good idea." Caroline said as she walked round to view his computer screen.

They spent the next half an hour fast forwarding through video footage, when eventually, their eyes shot open, their bodies shot forward and they paused the video... right as Clay was staring into the lens.

"Son of a bitch" Matt said under his breath as Caroline looked shocked at the screen, unsure what to make of it.

"They let him out... completely unreported." Caroline said, shaking her head.

"It went unreported because he wants to get Elena and probably her family when they least expect it. None of the Gilberts are safe, we need to call them." Matt said as he picked up his phone.

"I'll call my mom, she can get the police department on the look out, they can pick Theo up from school so Elena doesn't have to go out. She's at the house right?" Caroline said as she began to walk towards the door.

"Yeah Stefan's not letting her leave his sight." Matt said as Caroline nodded and left the room. Matt put his phone to his ear and after a few minutes, Jeremy picked up. "Jer, you need to get to Stefan's house now, make sure Bonnie, Averie and your parents are with you, lock the door behind you, do not leave under any circumstances ok?"

"Wow, Matt, what's going on?" Jeremy asked, confused by his friend's frantic behaviour.

"Clay's out Jer... and he's not going to stop till he hurts you all."

* * *

Robbie stood in his garage fixing up on of the cars when he looked up and saw two built men walk in through the open door. He stood up, wiped his hands, and met the two men half way. Robbie picked up on their angry faces and spoke cautiously to them.

"Can I help you guys?" He asked as the two men looked at each other, then back to him.

"You Robbie Gilbert?" one of them asked.

"... Depends who's asking." Robbie replied, not liking these guys one bit.

The two men took that as a yes, and the one who hadn't spoken, took a swing and hit Robbie square on the jaw, before they both took a punch at his stomach. Robbie fell to his knees in pain as he spat out blood and looked up at the two men.

"What the hell?!"

"Why don't you run on home and tell your precious Elena that this is just the beginning." one of them said before turning to walk away.

Only ten minutes later, Robbie burst into the Salvatore House and was immediately greeted by a terrified looking Elena and Stefan.

"Robbie... what happened?" Elena said, rushing over to him and inspecting his face.

"You want to tell me why two guys came into my garage to rough me up a little as a message to you?" Robbie asked angrily as Elena took a step back.

"Oh my God... Clay." Elena said in a whisper.

"Clay? Clay's in jail, Elena." Robbie said.

"He got out last night Robbie. Under the radar, we had no idea until Matt checked the security footage. He called Averie and threatened her yesterday." Stefan explained.

Robbie looked at Elena and saw the fear in her eyes and his blood started to boil. She was finally happy and now Clay was out and trying to exact some sort of extreme revenge on Elena and everyone she loved.

"What can I do? Tell me how to fix this" Robbie pleaded with his sister.

"Sherrif Forbes is on it, there is nothing you can do, there is nothing anyone can do. I'm not putting anyone else in anymore danger. I never thought he would go this far Robbie, I never thought he would physically hurt us." Elena said. "I am so sorry"

"This is not on you... Clay is unstable and... it's crazy the lengths that some people will go to to get revenge. You're safe here." Robbie assured her as he pulled her in for a hug.

* * *

Meanwhile, Averie and Lincoln we walking through the park on the edge of town, unaware of everything that was going down. Averie had been hanging around with Lincoln, just waiting for some news on Clay, but nothing was coming through.

"It's eerily quiet out here." Lincoln commented passively.

"That's because it's freezing and people have more sense than us and are inside right now." Averie said as she crossed her arms in an attempt to preseve some heat.

"I like the cold, it's refreshing" Lincoln said with a shrug.

"You're weird." Averie said absentmindedly.

"Why did you agree to this walk if you don't like it?" Lincoln asked with a laugh.

"Because I need be here when Clay calls you with his revenge plans." Averie told him.

"You really think Clay would trust me with his revenge plans?" Lincoln asked.

"I don't know Lincoln, but you're potentially our only in to the mind of Clay." Averie said.

Lincoln nodded; "... are you sure you didn't come on this walk because you like me and want to spend time with me?" He teased.

Averie started at him for a moment before simply replying; "shut up Lincoln."

Averie's head shot around when she heard some rustling in the bush behind her she tried to see through it, but it was getting dark and she couldn't see anything.

"Well that's not creepy at all..." Averie mumbled as her phone started to ring. "It's Stefan... Hey Stefan, what's up?" she asked down the phone.

"Averie, where are you?" he asked frantically.

"I'm at the park why?" she asked.

"You need to get to my house now, I'm coming to get you, stay out of sight as much as you can ok?" Stefan said as he ran into the hallway and grabbed his keys.

"Wow, Stefan, what's going on?" she asked as Lincoln looked her her confused.

"Clay got out Averie, he got his guys to beat up Robbie, he's trying to get to all of us." Stefan explained.

"What the h-" Averie began, but before she could continue there was a loud bang causing her to jump out of her skin. "What was that?" she said looking around her, going into panic mode.

"Averie? Averie are you ok?" Stefan asked down the phone.

"Yeah, I'm fine I-" Averie said as she turned to look at Lincoln, whose face was white as snow. "Linc... oh my god..." she said as Lincoln removed his hand from his chest, to reveal his blood stained top. His body gave in and he collapsed on the grass beside them as Averie quickly sat beside him and held his head in her hands. "Lincoln, oh god, oh god, Lincoln. Help! Help!" Averie cried out as someone soon spied them and called an ambulance.

Back at the house, Stefan was desperately trying to get through to Averie again, but she was not picking up her phone. Elena came into the hallway and saw Stefan's frantic look and began to panic herself.

"Stefan, what happened?"

"I don't know I was on the phone with Averie and then there was this bang and she was shouting for Lincoln and then the line went dead." Stefan said.

"Lincoln? A bang? Oh my god Stefan what if he was shot? We have to get to the hospital." Elena said as she grabbed her keys and stormed towards the door.

"Elena, it's not safe!" Stefan said grabbing onto her arm.

"Don't try and stop me Stefan!" Elena said fiercely as she tore her arm away.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed? Look what he did to Lincoln!" Stefan shouted.

"Clay may be a bastard but Lincoln is like my brother. He is family and if he is hurt, then I am going to him. So you can either stand there or you can come with me." Elena said as she stormed out the door. Stefan sighed before quickly racing out after her.

* * *

A short while later, Lincoln was being brought into the ER with Averie walking quickly behind him.

"24 year old male, GSW to the chest, no exit wound, bleeding stabilised for now." the paramedic explained the the doctor as she handed him the chart.

"Ok let's get him straight into the OR, page Dr. Peterson!" the doctor exclaimed as they quickly took him off and Averie was left standing there, her hands covered in his blood.

20 minutes later, Averie was sitting on one of the chairs when one of the nurses came out and over to her. Averie quickly jumped from her seat and over to her.

"Is he ok?" she frantically asked.

"Are you family?" the nurse asked.

Averie sunk; "Uh... no. I'm not really I mean... my sister was married to his brother, so he's practically family I don't know..." Averie said in a panicked manner. "Can you tell me anything?"

"The doctors are doing everything they can. I'll update you with what I can tell you as soon as I know more." the nurse assured her as Averie nodded her head.

Not 30 seconds later, Elena and Stefan ran into the ER and spotted Averie.

"Averie!" Elena exclaimed as she ran over to her. "What's going on? Is Lincoln ok?"

"He was shot in the chest Elena... he's in surgery." Averie explained.

"Why would Clay want to shoot Lincoln? He's his brother, he never did anything to him." Elena asked.

"He wasn't aiming for Lincoln, Elena, he was aiming for me! I'm the one who started to make it difficult for him to get out, this is his way of paying me back!" Averie shouted as Stefan grabbed them both and pulled them into a side room before they caused an even bigger scene.

"Let's just take a breath..." Stefan said.

"How can we take a breath Stefan, Clay shot Lincoln!" Averie exclaimed. "He tired to shoot me, he is going to extremes here Stefan. Clay. never. loses." she said slowly. "I need some air..." Averie said as she walked towards the door.

"Averie it's not safe out there." Elena said.

"I'm not a kid Elena, so stop treating me like one, I can look after myself, unlike you, who married the bastard and put us in this position!" Averie shouted as Elena recoiled.

Averie stormed out of the room and Elena quickly turned to Stefan.

"Stefan go after her, it's not safe for her out there." Elena said. "I'll be fine here, I promise, go!"

Stefan nodded his head and quickly ran out the door. Elena turned her back to the door and lent on the table infront of her. She couldn't believe this was happening. She knew Clay was a lot of things, but she never thought he was a killer, she never thought he would go to such lengths to destroy her. If he was willing to shoot her sister, what would he do to her?

She heard the door close behind her and she turned around expecting to see Stefan and Averie, but instead, she jumped back and moved into the furthest corner of the room as her worst nightmare stood before her, smirking.

"Hello Elena." He greeted.

"... Clay."

* * *

Meanwhile, Stefan had bolted out the doors or the ER and in a few short seconds he had caught up with Averie.

"Averie wait!" Stefan called.

"Go away Stefan!"

"We need to stick together, it's not safe out there!"

"If we stick together, it just makes us one, big, easy target!" Averie said exacerbated.

"There are police officers surrounding the house and walking all around town on the look out for him, no one is going to harm us in the house." Stefan replied.

Averie finally stopped in her steps and turned to look at Stefan. "I'm just- I'm so mad. How could she let this happen?"

"How was she supposed to know that Clay would do this? This isn't on Elena, Averie. I know you're looking for someone to blame, but the only person to blame is Clay. Elena has been trying all day to think of ways to protect us." Stefan reasoned with her.

"I'm just finding that really difficult to believe right now." Averie replied.

"I know it may be hard but it's the truth. We can't turn our backs on each other now, not when Clay is such a danger. Please, come back inside." Stefan pleaded. Before Averie could reply, Stefan's phone buzzed and he opened a message from Elena.

 _CLAY IS HERE._ It simply said.

"Oh my God... he's here." Stefan said as Averie's face fell and they both ran back inside.

Elena could feel the panic rise in her and she was trying her best to keep it bay, but having him standing infront of her, with a look that could kill, was terrifying. She didnt know what his next move could be, they hadn't anticipated any of this and it all happened so fast.

"Why are you doing this Clay? You have nothing to gain from trying to hurt my family, you will go straight back to prison. You shot your own brother." Elena said, shocked at the person she saw standing before her, she barely recognised him, he was so consumed with revenge.

"I will certainly feel vidicated ruining your life like you ruined mine. As for Lincoln... he was never much of a brother anyway. We'll view him as collateral damage." Clay spat viciously.

"I didn't ruin your life Clay, you did it all by yourself... you were just stupid enough to get caught." Elena said, the anger boiling inside of her, and this anger was making her grow confidence in standing up to her.

"It was a petty crime Elena, I did not deserve to be thrown in the dog house!"

"You screwed so many people over! You are not bigger than the law Clay."

"Surely you've realised by now that I always win?" Clay said with a devious smirk.

Suddenly, Stefan and Averie burst into the room and their attention was diverted to the pair.

"Clay, stay the hell away from her." Stefan warned as he went to walk to her side, but Clay very stethily drew a knife from his pocket and twirled it between his fingers, causing him to back off.

"Ah Stefan Salvatore as I live and breathe! I had heard that you had managed to charm Elena back into your bed once again... not that it's hard." Clay said as Stefan clenched his fists.

"Stefan it's fine, just stay with Averie." Elena said. "Put that away Clay, this is between me and you."

"See, it would be too easy for you to just die... you need to lose everything, like I lost everything, and the people you love are the most important thing to you, no?" Clay asked.

"Yeah. They are. But they don't deserve to suffer because of of something that is about us. My brothers and my sister have their whole lives ahead of them, Stefan is someone's grandson, someone's brother, someone's best friend." Elena said thinking of four of the most important people in Stefan's life, Piero, Alessandra, Damon and Katherine.

"Yeah I'm unconvinced." Clay replied. "I may have missed Averie in the park, but I definitely won't miss Stefan when he's standing right infront of me."

"You may have missed Averie but you still got Lincoln. Another person who is completely innocent, your own family." Elena reminded him, though something told her Clay didn't really know the meaning of the word. "You really want me to have to tell Theo that his father's a killer? That's why he's not around?"

"I'm sure you've already spit lies about me to him, what's one more? He will never love me like he loves you, he is devoted completely to you! I'm going to jail anyway... I may as well finish this off." He said, with a hint of sadness in his voice that he screwed things up with his son.

"If you finish this off, you will be in jail for life." Elena told him, something in her pitied Clay in that moment, even though she knew he didn't deserve it. He screwed everything up because he felt he had to be the best at everything. He had to be the alpha male, he had to always win, he had to have everything, and it had gotten him nowhere.

"... I think it's too late for me to change anyway." Clay said as he turned round and plunged towards Stefan, he swiped the blade across his stomach as Stefan fell to the floor.

"Stefan!" Elena screamed as she ran over to him and inspected his wound while Averie ran out the door to get help.

Clay ran out of the room when he saw they were distracted with Stefan, but there was no exit for him. Sheriff Forbes was standing at the door with her men, all pointing a gun at him.

"Drop it Browning." Liz said as Clay sighed, dropped the knife and held his hands up.

They quickly cuffed him and took him away, while Elena was becoming hysterical over Stefan. She was holding his hand as the doctor checked him out.

"Elena... I'm fine, it's barely a scratch." Stefan said as Elena cried.

"You're bleeding everywhere Stefan, this is all my fault I am so sorry..." Elena said as the tears poured down her cheeks.

"He's right Ms Gilbert." the doctor replied; "It's just a flesh wound, but it's going to need some stitches and to be bandaged up, let's get you into one of the side rooms.

* * *

A short while later, Stefan was sitting on one of the beds, banaged up and looking more than ok. Elena pulled back the curtain and smiled softly when she saw him. She walked over to him and sat on the edge of the bed, lifted his bandage and looked at the stitched up wound.

"It's like a work of art." Elena said with a little laugh, admiring the doctor's handy work.

"Averie threatened the doctor to get the best plastic surgeon in this place." Stefan replied, laughing a little himself.

"Lincoln got out of surgery. He had a collapsed lung, but the managed to repair it. He should make a full recovery." Elena said as she covered his wound up again.

"That's good. He didn't deserve to get caught up in all of this." Stefan replied.

"No one deserved to get caught up in all of this... only me." Elena replied.

"Elena stop, you can't control what Clay does, this was all on him. You tried to protect us and we're all here. We're all safe. Are you ok?" Stefan asked, knowing that she was too busy worrying about everyone else to think about herself.

"Yeah, I'm ok." Elena replied quietly. "... everyone's ok. I never though Clay would go so far. I never thought he was capable of that. I never saw it coming."

"No one did. No one could have predicted this."

"I just- I couldn't imagine my life without any one of you... even Katherine." Elena said with a little laugh. "It would be like losing a limb and my heart stopped when I realised the lengths Clay was willing to go." Elena confessed as Stefan held her hand and rubbed the top of her hand with his thumb. "Stefan I love you so much, the thought of losing you..."

Stefan quickly sat up and wrapped his arm around her, allowing her to rest her head in the hollow of his neck. "I'm right here Elena. I'm not going anywhere. We are going to grow grey and old together, and I can't wait to spend my life staring into your beautiful eyes, and kissing your beautiful lives and loving your beautiful self till the day I die. I love you." he finished in a whisper as they rested foreheads. "You're safe."

* * *

A short while later, Stefan headed home to check in on the rest of the Gilberts, in particular, Theo, while Elena visited Lincoln. She knew Averie had been sitting with him all evening, but Elena wanted Lincoln to know that he wasn't alone, and there would always be a family here for him in Mystic Falls.

Elena walked into his ICU room and saw Averie sitting, staring at him intensely.

"Careful Ave, you might stare a hole into his face." Elena lightly joked as Averie turned round to look at her.

Averie smiled weakly as she quickly returned her attention to Lincoln; "I'm just scared that if I take my eyes off him for one second something's going to happen to him." Averie replied.

Elena stood at the edge of Lincoln's bed and watched him with Averie. He looked so weak lying there, so pale.

"You should get some rest Averie, it's been... a long day." Elena said.

"That bullet was meant for me Elena. I can't just leave him. If he doesn't have me, who does he have?" Averie responded.

"He will always have a family in us Averie. Always. Lincoln has been living in Clay's shadow for as long as I can remember..."

"And it got him shot." Averie added.

"...Yeah... but he's free now Averie. He has no ties to Clay, he can start being his own person, he stop feeling like the lesser Browning. He can have a real family in us." Elena said. "I know you blame me for all of this Averie..."

"No, no I don't." Averie said quickly. "It was the heat of the moment, I didn't mean it. You couldn't control Clay's actions. Everything he did he brought on himself. I don't blame you."

Elena nodded her head, and before anything else could be said, Lincoln started to stir in his sleep, and he slowly opened his eyes.

"Lincoln..." Averie said as she stood up and sat on the edge of his bed.

"Averie Gilbert... I never thought I would see the day you would sit vigil by my bedside." Lincoln joked weakly.

Averie laughed as a few tears fell down her cheeks; "God I hate you" she said through her laughter and tears.

Lincoln looked straight ahead of him and saw Elena standing there sheepishly; "Elena..."

"Lincoln... how are you feeling?"

"Like I got shot in the chest." he replied. "Better me than you guys..."

"I'm so sorry that it came to this Lincoln, I'm so sorry you got caught in the cross fire." Elena told him.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. You're more of a sister to me than Clay ever was a brother. I assume the fact that you're standing here means he's gone?" Lincoln asked.

"Clay is going to jail for a very long time." Averie told Lincoln as he nodded.

"Good... don't beat yourself up Elena. I'm ok. I'm here. Go home to Stefan and Theo." Lincoln encouraged.

"I'm bringing Theo round to visit tomorrow." Elena said.

"I'll look forward to it." Lincoln replied.

Elena walked round to the side of Lincoln's bed and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Do you have any idea how much I love you Elena Gilbert?" Lincoln asked.

"I do now" Elena said with a laugh. "You want a ride Ave?"

"Yeah, visiting hours are long over... goodnight Lincoln." Averie said as she too gave him a kiss.

"You guys need to stop fawning over me, I mean come on..." Lincoln joked as Elena and Averie rolled their eyes.

"Goodbye Lincoln!" The girls replied simultaneously.

* * *

Elena walked up the stairs to her and Stefan's room and as she walked in the door, her heart fluttered. She saw Theo asleep lying against Stefan as he read a book, comfortingly running a finger up and down Theo's back.

"He ok?" Elena said, as Stefan's looked up.

"Yeah he's fine, he was just worried about you so asked if he could wait for you in here. Who was I to say no?" Stefan said as Elena kicked off her shoes and climbed into bed beside them.

"I would rather have him in here today anyway after everything." Elena said as she looked down at her little boy. "What did you tell him?"

"Not a lot. I figured if we were to tell him anything you should be here." Stefan replied.

"I don't want to scare him... he's too young to have anything like this in his life." Elena responded.

"Then we don't have to scare him. He knows Clay is away, he knows we're all safe. That's what matters." Stefan replied.

"Yeah... how's your wound?" Elena asked.

"It's fine, I can't swim for a while though which is devastating because it is exactly what I had planned for date night tomorrow." Stefan said wiggling his eyebrows.

Elena laughed lightly as to not wake Theo; "Maybe we could move date night to the shower instead." Elena replied.

"I like the way you think... are you sure you want to get back to normality so fast? It's ok to just take some time." Stefan said.

"I am taking time and that time involves enjoying the life that I have with my son and with you." Elena replied.

Stefan gazed down at Elena as she ran her hand softly through Theo's hair. Even after everything, her heart was so full of love and she was ready to keep living the best life she could. He was so in awe of her and so very in love with her.

"Marry me" he said in a whisper.

"Uh... you've already asked me that one buddy" Elena said flashing her ring at him.

"No I mean now, let's get married now." Stefan replied.

"Right now?" Elena said, sitting up in bed, a little surprised.

"No not right now, but soon, let's start planning now. I don't want another day to go by where you're not my wife." Stefan said as Elena smiled widely.

"Ok... let's get married." She replied as she lent over and kissed him.

Everything was falling into place. Everything was coming together. _Everything._

* * *

 **Don't forget to review!**


	13. Who Put Katherine in Charge?

**This chapter was a lot of fun to write. It seems only natural that Stefan and Elena's wedding would be chaotic! Enjoy!**

* * *

The following weekend, Elena and Stefan were enjoying breakfast together while Robbie and Jeremy took Theo out for a guy's day. The Salvatore house had been pretty manic the past few days following everything with Clay. Lincoln had taken up Elena and Stefan's offer of a place to stay as he recovered and Averie was round every day making sure he was looking after himself and naturally, driving him crazy. Robbie had also been playing the role of big brother, checking in on Elena any chance he could get and Elena's parents and Stefan's grandparents were constantly bringing around food so no one had to worry about anything. The only thing that was missing from their lives was Katherine, and they were certainly embracing the few moments of bliss they were having without her.

They realised their peace had been shattered however, when they heard the front door open, and heels quickly hit against the floor of the hallway. Elena and Stefan both looked at each other, not sure they were ready for the storm that was Katherine.

The door to the kitchen flung open and Katherine stood there with her hands on her hips as Stefan and Elena smiled awkwardly up at her.

"Hey Kath-" Stefan began but Katherine held a hand up to stop him.

"I just need to get a few things straight before we say our hellos... I leave Mystic Falls for two weeks, and you manage to get yourself stabbed, Robbie gets beat up and Averie dodges a bullet that ends up in her lover boy? Can you do anything without me?!" Katherine said throwing her hands in the air. "Seriously, all hell broke lose when I left."

"Yeah it was definitely your absence that got us all into bother Kat." Stefan replied sarcastically.

"Thank goodness I am here now, otherwise this wedding would have been a disaster, you'll both end up burning the house down or something." Katherine said rolling her eyes. "That's the second thing we need to get straight, you want to get married, next weekend?"

"Yeah that's the plan" Elena said smiling happily at Stefan.

"Ok, there is no time for that googly eye stuff when you have only given yourself a week to plan a wedding, thank God I am here, otherwise there is no way this would get done." Katherine said shaking her head.

"You want to help plan our wedding?" Elena asked, surprised at Katherine's interest in the event.

"Are you kidding? I love weddings! And it's not everyday that your best friend gets married. Then again, knowing your track record as a couple..." Katherine said absentmindedly; "that doesn't matter, if you don't want me to shoot myself then you're going together forever because I cannot handle another one of your mopey break up phases." Katherine said as Stefan and Elena looked at her with raised eyebrows. "Would you two quit staring at me like that? We have a lot to prepare, go, get dressed!" Katherine said as Stefan and Elena quickly left the kitchen. "And no funny business up there!" Katherine shouted after them.

* * *

The week had flown in and the day of the wedding had arrived. Elena and Stefan were amazed that Katherine had pulled everything off this far. They decided to just have the wedding in the large back garden of the house, and Robbie and Grayson had spent all week getting it ready. Elena had found her dream dress and Katherine found the best deals on everything else, from the cake to the flowers to the bridesmaid dresses to the tuxes.

The house was buzzing that Saturday morning as everyone got ready for the wedding. Katherine was standing in her typical bossy fashion with a clip board and an ear piece ordering everyone around. Caroline, Matt, Bonnie and Jeremy stood at the end of the stairs, watching the whole thing unfold.

"Let's go people, we don't have a lot of time!" Katherine shouted.

"They've created a monster..." Bonnie commented, looking fearfully at Katherine.

"Do Elena and Stefan even know anything about their wedding?" Jeremy asked as he winced at Katherine telling off one of the waiters.

"Why would they need to when Katherine has got it all sorted?" Caroline commented sarcastically.

Averie walked over to the four of them with a camera in her hand and shoved it in their faces. "It gets worse, Katherine wants me to video the day, she's starting up a vlog, hoping to inspire future weddings, go viral with the 'wedding in a week' thing. She's got me on videoing duties."

"Yeah I'm sure all three of her followers will care" Caroline said as she rolled her eyes

"Hey!" Katherine called to them as they all stiffened in their poses, afraid of what was coming next; "Could you all get a move on please, there is so much to organise, I am not paying you to stand around talking!"

"You're not paying us anything Katherine." Matt reminded her.

"... Whatever. Move!" She said as they all quickly scattered.

"Averie did you get that?" Katherine said with a smile, making sure Averie had caught her fierce moment on video.

"I got it"

"Man that was gold!" Katherine said as she happily walked away.

* * *

Upstairs, Caroline and Bonnie had made their way into Elena's room to help her get ready. They were fixing her hair and her make up and they both couldn't help but notice the glow on Elena's face.

"How are you feeling?" Caroline asked with a smile.

"Nervous... but excited. I never thought we would ever get to do this." Elena answered.

"Well we are all relieved, we weren't sure you guys were ever going to make it down that ailse!" Bonnie replied as they all sniggered.

"Neither did I to be honest." Elena replied. "I have to pee" Elena said as she quickly stood and left the room.

"How is she not drinking? My wedding day, I was so tipsy at the alter." Bonnie said.

"Yeah we all remember" Caroline teased.

"I was just so nervous, I was marrying a Gilbert, I was wilfully accepting a life with a little bit of crazy." Bonnie replied with a light laugh.

"Yet you wouldn't have it any other way" Caroline reminded her.

"Of course I wouldn't. Now let's check out these bridesmaid dresses..." Bonnie said as they walked over to the dresses hanging on the door. The unzipped the covers and when they saw the dresses, their faces immediately fell.

"Oh no..." Caroline said quietly.

"Oh God no..." Bonnie repeated.

"These are not the right dresses!"

"They are the ugliest things I have ever seen..." Bonnie said screwing her face up at the puffy material.

"Elena is going to freak out!" Caroline said as she started pacing.

"Forget Elena, Katherine is going to freak out!" Bonnie said as fear covered Caroline's face at the thought of one thing going wrong today. "We have to get them back to the store."

"It's closed today remember?" Caroline said.

"Who closes a store on a Saturday?!" Bonnie said as she ran her hand across her forehead. "What are we going to do?"

"About what?" Elena asked as she walked into the room.

Bonnie and Caroline quickly stood in front of the dresses so Elena couldn't see them.

"Nothing" they both said simultaneously.

Elena eyed them curiously as Bonnie spoke up; "We're just going to... put these in my old room! Clear some room in here, make sure all the space is just for you.

"OK..." Elena said cautiously.

"We won't be long" Caroline said as she and Bonnie lifted the three dresses and darted out of the room.

"We need plan" Bonnie said as said as they walked down the hallway.

"There's so much material on them, maybe we could fix them up a little? Take a few of those bows off?" Caroline suggested.

"Sarah I can't even sew a straight line let alone make an entirely different dress!" Bonnie exclaimed.

"Yeah me either..." Caroline said, but then it hit her; "... but there's someone here who can."

A few minutes later, Caroline and Bonnie were standing inspecting the dresses with Averie. Averie was a wizard with a sewing machine, making a lot of her own stuff, so they were begging that she could help them.

"Uh huh... I see..." Averie said as she fiddled with the material of the dresses; "You're right, they're horrible." Averie said with her hands on her hips.

"Can you do anything with them?" Bonnie asked.

"Of course I can." Averie said in a tone that implied she was insulted by Bonnie's question; "but I'm on vlogging duty for Katherine, so i can't really..."

"Averie, I think it's a little more important that Elena and Stefan's wedding goes off exactly like they envisioned, rather than you taking crap videos all day!" Caroline exclaimed.

Averie glared at Caroline; "You're lucky this camera is off right now, because Katherine would have loved to hear you say that-"

"Ok we do not have time for you two to fight" Bonnie said interrupting Averie; "Averie, we will take the camera and video for the day, just please fix these dresses." Bonnie pleaded.

"Ok fine" Averie said handing Bonnie the camera.

"Thank you"

"Well I'm glad someone around here is finally appreciating my talent." she said as she lifted the dresses and left the room to find Alessandra's sewing machine.

* * *

Jeremy walked into the back garden of the house and inspected what was going on. All the chairs for the guests had been set up and the canopy for Elena and Stefan to stand under. The flowers were arranged along the sides and the whole place was looking beautiful. He was about to turn back inside when he saw Robbie at the other end of the garden, looking around the shed with a panicked look on his face, so he decided to go over and see what was happening.

"Robbie... you ok?" Jeremy asked.

"What? Me? Yeah, I'm great! Couldn't be better." Robbie said suspiciously.

"uh uh..." Jeremy said with raised eyebrows, not at all convinced.

Robbie sighed and gave up his facade; "... I lost the rings."

"What?!"

"I know, Stefan is going to kill me, more importantly, Katherine is going to kill me! I am the worst best man ever, I told him to just let Damon do it, he is completely reliable, but he insisted it be me, his best bud, oh God he's going to beat the crap out of me..." Robbie said running a hand through his hair.

"It's ok, they can't have gone far, you had them this morning right?" Jeremy asked.

"Yeah but this place is a freakin castle, it's like finding a needle in a haystack..." Robbie commented.

"You just have to retrace your steps." Jeremy suggested. "Come on let's start in the kitchen" he said as they started walking towards the house.

"Ok, but if we see Katherine, we have to run, she will see right through me." Robbie replied.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Bonnie and Caroline were continually poking their heads around the door, checking on Averie's progress.

"If you poke your heads in here one more time..." Averie began.

"We're just making sure everything's ok." Bonnie said, trying to sound as calm as possible.

"Of course it's ok, it's me! You're just being irritating, now go!" Averie said as Caroline and Bonnie groaned before leaving the room.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Caroline asked.

"We wait. I suppose we could film some stuff for Katherine." Bonnie said holding up the camera.

"Yeah... I have an idea..." Caroline said as she took the camera from Bonnie and walked on. They made their way back to the room Elena was getting ready in and turned the camera on to film Elena as they walked in.

"Hey Elena, how you doing?" Caroline asked as Elena smiled at them through the reflection in the mirror.

"So good. What's with the camera?" she asked, turning around.

"Long story, but basically, we're on vlogging duties for Katherine today" Bonnie explained.

"What a privilege" Elena said with a laugh

"Oh you have no idea... so, the good people on Katherine's feed, would love to know a fun story about you and Stefan." Caroline said.

"I wouldn't even know what one to tell" Elena said, knowing there were many.

"How about, something stupid Stefan has done, or how you knew he could be the one for you." Caroline said.

"Well... there was this one time, we had been dating for maybe 5 or so months and Damon had just come back into town from college." Elena began; "everyone in Mystic Falls always saw Damon as Stefan's cool and handsome older brother and the girls were crazy about him and all the attention was on Damon as soon as he came home. Then one day at the grill, I was having lunch with you and Matt;" Elena said nodding to Caroline, "and Stefan was just sitting at the bar, staring at me and he was really irritating me, and he knew it. I kept trying to look away, but he kept managing to catch my eye, and he gave me the most charming smile that still makes me swoon to this day..." Elena said, smiling brightly herself.

"That is so cute" Caroline said with a little giggle.

"Oh it gets better... so you were talking about how handsome Damon was and Matt was getting insanely jealous, thank God you two sorted your feelings out, and Stefan eventually got up from his seat and started walking towards me, just as Damon was walking back to his table with a plate of chilli fries, and Stefan tripped on the leg of the table, ran straight into Damon, sent the food flying into the air and all over them. Damon beat the crap out of Stefan the next day and Stefan made me promise that I would never speak of it again." Elena said as they all laughed.

"And here's me thinking Stefan was really smooth" Bonnie commented.

"Not that day... I guess that was one of the moments I knew I would always love him. Because he was goofy and he looked at me like there was no one else in the room and he teased me and he just made my world that little bit brighter." Elena said as Caroline and Bonnie smiled happily at her.

"Well, it as nice to get something on the camera that wasn't insulting towards Katherine." Caroline said as she closed it over and the other two laughed.

* * *

Jeremy and Robbie had made their way back into the garden after retracing all of Robbie's steps with no luck. They were really starting to freak out, but were trying not to show it.

"Ok, then I walked through here... and down here..." Robbie said, thinking about everywhere he walked.

"This is ridiculous..." Jeremy mumbled.

"We have to try everywhere Jer!" Robbie replied.

"What are you two doing?" They heard a voice behind them say as they both jumped and turned to face Katherine.

"God Katherine, you nearly gave me a heart attack, what are you doing creeping up on people like that?" Robbie said, putting a hand to his chest, desperately trying to divert the conversation away from his crisis.

"I was just checking that this backdrop was good enough for photographs... what are you two up to?" Katherine said eyeing them suspiciously.

"I lost a cuff link" Jeremy said quickly.

"Ok... well stop acting so shifty, it's very off putting." Katherine said.

"Yes your highness." Robbie mocked as Katherine glared and walked away.

"She is going to kill us if we don't find these rings." Jeremy said.

"You lost the rings?!" they heard behind them as they spun around to see Caroline and Bonnie.

"God, people need to stop doing that!" Robbie said, not liking being jumped by everyone.

"Caroline... please tell me you did not get that on camera..." Jeremy asked with a gulp.

"Uh... wish I could..." she said as she smiled sheepishly.

"That's it, we're dead." Jeremy said.

"We're dead? I'm the one who lost them, you will be fine!" Robbie shouted at his brother.

"I stupidly got myself involved in this, now I'm going to get some of the blame!"

"Hold on, you lost the rings?" Bonnie said back tracking.

"Yes Bonnie, welcome to the party, you're a little late" Robbie said frantically.

"I know where they are" Bonnie said casually.

"You do?" Robbie asked hopefully.

"Yeah, but I'm a little late to the part, so the host probably doesn't want to talk to me..." Bonnie replied sarcasticall.

Robbie sighed; "I'm sorry ok? Please tell me where they are" he begged.

"Try your nephew" Bonnie said simply.

"Of course! Theo and I were messing around this morning, he must have taken them to play with, thank you, come on Jer." Robbie said as the two boys ran inside.

Caroline closed over the camera once again; "we are catching some golden moments on this thing!"

* * *

Matt, Lincoln, Damon and Stefan were all gathered in Stefan's room getting ready for the wedding. Damon had brought a large selection of alcohol to calm Stefan's nerves and the guys were having a good laugh together.

"Damn Stefan look at all these trophies..." Lincoln said looking at Stefan's shelves. They were all from his time as a football player in high school. "You trying to impress Elena or something?"

"Why do you think she went for me in the first place?" Stefan joked as they guys laughed. "We're taking this house room by room, I'm sure when she gets her hands on the stuff in here she'll find a new place for them."

"You feeling any calmer about today?" Matt asked as he poured himself a drink.

"No I'm freaking out. I thought I would be chill about this, this is supposed to be the happiest day of my life, why am I not chill?" Stefan asked frantically as Matt handed him a drink and he downed it.

"It's just excitement, you've waited a long time for this! But let's not have you smelling like a brewery" Damon said, taking the glass from his hand.

"Nothing better screw things up today." Stefan commented.

"I think you're safe with Katherine organising things." Lincoln commented.

"That's true, I swear she should make a career out of this." Stefan commented as he looked in the mirror and fixed his shirt. "Where are Robbie and Jeremy?"

Robbie and Jeremy stood staring down at Theo as he sat in the bean bag in his room, staring right back at them.

"Right... where did you put the rings Theo?" Robbie asked, but he sat in silence. "Because I could have sworn I came in here with them in my pocket, and left without them..."

"It's ok if you have them Theo, we just need them back for your mom and Stefan" Jeremy said, playing the good cop in this situation.

"What are you willing to give me if I return them to you?" Theo asked as he sat back in his bean bag and folded his arms.

"I knew it!" Robbie, happy to finally get an confession out of Theo. "and God you are so manipulative for five years old, I am impressed."

"I'll give you the rings back... in return for... two extra slices of cake!" Theo requested.

"Theo that's really not up to us" Jeremy replied.

"I know, that's why you have to smuggle them to me." Theo said with a shrug; "I already built a den to hide from the dancing, all you have to do is bring them to me."

"I'm liking this devious streak, but honestly I never saw it coming" Robbie said, amazed at Theo.

"I just want lots of cake" Theo said with a laugh.

"ok, ok, fine, we'll get you the cake" Robbie agreed.

"Proper slices! No cheating me out." Theo warned.

"Ok, proper slices... do we have a deal?" Robbie said holding out his hand.

Theo considered the offer, then stood up and shook Robbie's hand. He reached behind his bean bag and handed Robbie the rings, before retreating back to his game.

"He is good..." Robbie said quietly as he and Jeremy left the room.

Down the hall, Caroline and Bonnie quickly walked into the room Averie was working in.

"Ok Ave, we need the dresses, Elena is asking questions." Caroline said.

"Good thing I'm finished then, what do you think?" Averie asked holding up the dresses.

They were beautiful. They were now a light pink colour with buttons up the back and a beaded belt across the front.

"Oh my gosh, these are incredible..." Bonnie said as she and Caroline admired the dresses.

"Averie... how did you do this? You barely had any time! They look like entirely different dresses." Caroline said.

"I have a gift. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to get changed into mine with my sister." Averie said as she picked up her dress and went to leave the room. Before she could, the door opened and Katherine walked in.

"What are you three doing?" she asked before looking down at the dresses and panic forming across her face; "those are not the dresses we ordered!"

"Yeah they may have give us the wrong ones..." Bonnie said carefully.

"What?!"

"Don't freak out, Averie fixed them up, aren't they incredible?" Caroline said, holding the dresses up for her to see.

"Yes but that is besides the point! This day has been a disaster." Katherine said, collapsing down on the bed.

"What are you talking about?" Averie asked.

"The dresses were wrong, the caterers fell through and the only person I could ask was my ex boyfriend Owen..."

"Creepy Owen?" Caroline asked scrunching up her face.

"Yes Caroline, creepy Owen! Now he's going to expect more than cash in payment which is just not happening. Robbie lost the rings..."

"You know about that?" Bonnie asked.

"Of course I know about that, I know everything! I haven't even had the chance to go through Stefan's vows with him and make sure that they are appropriate."

"That's something personal Katherine, they're going to be amazing no matter what." Caroline assured her.

"Stefan isn't exactly a master with words" Katherine said hissing through her teeth.

"He will be today, trust me. Just take a deep breath, put the head piece down, and go put your dress on." Caroline said, taking the clip board from her.

"OK... but then I can put the head piece back on right?" Katherine asked.

"... of course sweetie." Caroline said as if she was talking to a child.

Katherine nodded and quickly left the room, while Bonnie, Caroline and Averie took one look at each other and laughed.

"My God she is a nightmare." Averie said as they finally got the chance to go and get ready.

* * *

The time had finally come for the wedding to start, and like Katherine hoped, everything was beginning to fall into place. Elena stood in her room fixing her dress in the mirror when Caroline, Averie and Bonnie walked in and smiled brightly at her.

"You are the most beautiful bride." Caroline commented. "Are you ready?"

"More ready than I have ever been." Elena said with a bright smile.

"We'll see you down there" Bonnie said as the three girls left the room.

A few moments later, Grayson walked into the room, and Elena saw tears beginning to pool in his eyes.

"My beautiful Elena..." He said as Elena turned to look at him. He grabbed her hands as Elena smiled up at him. "You are simply stunning."

"Thank you daddy"

"I'm so happy for you Elena, you've finally found something wonderful and you deserve your happiness more than anyone I know. Let's get you down that aisle." He said as he held out his arm and Elena linked hers through his.

Down at the patio, Stefan was standing behind the guests as they began to gather, with a smile on his face. It really was a beautiful day for a wedding. He turned round when he heard his grandparents come out the door.

"Nonna... you look beautiful." Stefan said giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Oh thank you, you look very handsome." Alessandra responded.

"What a beautiful day for a wedding." Piero commented as Stefan smiled; "I'm so happy for you Stefan. You have the most wonderful girl and I wish you a life time of happiness."

"Thank you nonno." Stefan responded.

"Come on Alessandra, let's get you seated, can't waste all our energy standing here when there's dancing to be done later." Piero commented as Alessandra laughed and the pair walked on.

Robbie came and stood beside him as he fixed his suit and Stefan eyed him curiously.

"Where have you been all day?" Stefan asked.

"Oh you know just being bossed about by Katherine... you ready for this?" Robbie asked.

"You bet I am. Let's get me married." Stefan said as he clapped a hand on Robbie's shoulder and the best friends walked to the front.

The music soon began to play as the three bridesmaid walked down the aisle, gaining smiles all around from the audience. Soon, Elena was standing at the top of the aisle holding onto her father and she thought she had never seen Stefan smile so brightly. She was without a doubt the most beautiful woman in the world to him and he couldn't believe that she was standing in front of him. Elena walked up the aisle as their guest watched on in amazement, and Miranda and Alessandra sat with tears in their eyes. Even Katherine had taken a moment to beam at the perfect couple.

Grayson handed Elena's hand over to Stefan and kissed her on the cheek before taking a seat next to his wife.

"Hi" Stefan whispered to Elena, who whispered hi back.

"Please be seated" the minister said as the guests sat down. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the marriage of Elena Miranda Gilbert and Stefan Piero Roberto Salvatore. Each have prepared their own vows for this afternoon, Elena, if you would begin."

"Stefan, from the moment you reminded me how to be my beautiful self, I knew there was something special about you and something special about us. I didn't quite realise that moment would turn into a thousand beautiful and happy moments. I had a lot of love in my life growing up, and I also had some difficulties in love, but when I look at you I know that now I will never lack in it. It has taken us a while to get here, but despite the set backs, I know now that this is forever and I only see us growing stronger and stronger everyday. You bring light in my darkest days and joy in my sadness and I am so excited for this next chapter of our lives together. I love you so much." she said as Stefan beamed with joy.

Stefan cleared his throat to begin his vows; "Elena. My beautiful Elena. Words cannot fully describe how much you make my heart race, how even the smallest smile from you can brighten up my day. I didn't think it was possible to love as deeply as I love you. I have never been good with words, except when it came to talking about you. The words that flood into my mind are endless. Beautiful, brave, bold, strong, kind, smart, witty, fiesty... perfect. I than God everyday for you and I am so thankful that he has led us here. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you and of course with Theo." Stefan said as the crowd awed and Stefan winked at the little boy who smiled in return. "I love you" he finished.

"And now for the rings." the minister said.

"Oh me" Robbie said as he quickly reached into his pocket and handed Stefan Elena's ring.

"Stefan, if you could repeat after me. I give this ring, as a token of my love and devotion, from this day forward." the minister said.

"I give this ring, as a token of my love and devotion, from this day forward." Stefan said as he slipped the ring on Elena's slim finger.

Elena did the same and when she finished they squeezed each other's hands tightly.

"It is with great pleasure that I now pronounce you man and wife, Stefan, you may kiss the bride." the minister said as Stefan took Elena in his arms and kissed her with everything he had in him.

* * *

That evening, the reception was in full flow and everyone was having a great time. The band were continually playing, the drinks were flowing and the laughter hadn't stopped.

Robbie went to the food table and lifted what appeared to be the fourth slice of cake and walked away, but ran straight into his mother.

"Robbie that is your 4th piece of cake, surely you've had enough?" Miranda asked.

"Oh I just can't get enough of it..." Robbie said as he awkwardly walked away and towards Theo's fort.

Katherine stood surveying everything when Elena and Stefan walked over to her.

"Everything went so beautifully... I have a gift." Katherine bragged happily.

"Yeah you should definitely make a career out of this Kat." Stefan said with a laugh.

"Career? Eugh." Katherine said turning her nose up.

"Thank you for all of this Katherine, we really owe you." Elena said sincerely.

"It's not biggy, anything for you guys..." Katherine said. "Now enough of this soppiness, I need a drink." Katherine said as she winked and walked off.

"Would you like to dance Mrs Salvatore?" Stefan asked.

"I would love to Mr Salvatore" Elena said as Stefan kissed her head and led her out onto the dance floor. Most people stopped what they were doing to watch the newly weds dance together, looking at each other with such love.

"Hm, our song" Elena commented happily when Just the Way you Look Tonight came on.

"Of course it would be our first dance" Stefan said. "Have you had a good day?" he asked.

"The best day... thank you for being so wonderful." Elena said with a smile.

"Thank you for being your beautiful self."

* * *

 **Yay, finally! Don't forget to review!**


	14. Kissing in the Rain

**So sorry about the lateness of this! I'm in the middle of exam season so updates may be a bit more sporadic… anyway, thank you again for all your reviews! Always put a smile on my face. Hope you enjoy this chapter**

* * *

Elena stood on the front porch of the Salvatore Boarding house, leaning against the wall as Stefan loaded their cases into the back of the car. Since the wedding was very last minute, they had settled on heading off to Elena's family cabin for a few days. They were excited to spend the time together and relax from all the chaos.

"Are you sure you're ok with going to the cabin? We could go somewhere exotic if you like." Stefan offered as he walked back over to her.

"The cabin is perfect. Just as long as I am with you." Elena said as she wrapped her arms around Stefan's neck and kissed him.

"Cover your eyes Theo, you don't need to see this nastiness." They heard Katherine say behind them as she appeared at the door with Theo.

"Do you really have to go?" Theo asked sadly as Stefan scooped him up and Elena ran her fingers through his brown locks.

"We'll only be gone for a few days honey and you'll have loads of fun here with Auntie Katherine and Uncle Robbie" Elena assured him.

"Yeah I am crazy fun Theo, you should ask Stefan about the parties we used to have in the backyard with my Barbies and his action men." Katherine said as Stefan laughed.

"Yeah Katherine had no problem taking the heads of my action men and I had no problem cutting the hair off her Barbies." Stefan responded.

Katherine shook her head; "It's amazing that we've stayed friends for this long."

"Ok…" Theo conceded; "Will you bring me back a present?!" he asked excitedly.

Stefan laughed lightly as he set Theo down; "of course we will buddy."

"Thanks!" Theo said as Elena kissed him and he ran back inside.

"So everything that needs to be done this weekend is on the fridge, do not let Robbie give Theo ice cream before bed, he will go crazy and you'll never get him to go to sleep, make sure he brushes his teeth properly, he tries to pull one over on us and not brush them fully so don't let him do the same to you…" Elena rambled.

"Elena! Shut up." Katherine said as Elena pouted; "We will be fine, Theo will not manipulate either of us, we are made of stern stuff. Now go, have fun, do dirty newly married couple things, because the next stage, is the boring stage."

"Call us if you need anything." Stefan said as they walked towards the car.

"OK!" Katherine said with fake enthusiasm.

Stefan and Elena soon took off from the house towards the cabin and Elena wouldn't stop shaking her leg and fidgeting.

"They'll be fine Elena…" Stefan said as he rested a hand on her leg and Elena rested her hand on top of his.

"I know, I know it's just… I don't think I've ever left Theo alone for more than a night and it's harder after everything that happened with Clay I just- I worry, that something like that could happen again." Elena confessed.

"Nothing is going to happen. Clay is behind bars, there is no threat to anyone. They're going to have the best time and we are going to have the best time." Stefan assured her.

"I know… though... the last time we were here… didn't go so well." Elena said as she scrunched up her face.

Stefan laughed; "Yeah I remember… we were going through a phase of fighting and sex being our only forms of communication."

"Uh huh… a huge fight in the thunderstorm. How clique." Elena said as they thought back to their last time at the cabin.

 _11 years ago_

 _Stefan hovered over Elena by the fire in the cabin, kissing down her jaw and her neck as Elena lifted her head as far back as it would go to give him as much access as possible. Since arriving at the cabin the previous evening, they spent most of their time between lying by the fireplace and lying in bed, exploring every part of each other like it was the first time._

 _"The fire's dying…" Elena said as Stefan continued to kiss her neck._

 _"I guess I'll just have to keep you warm then" Stefan joked as Elena laughed and he captured her lips in a searing kiss._

 _"As wonderful as that sounds, I don't know if I can for round 10 without some fuel… I'm hungry." Elena replied._

 _"Round 10? Damn… we're in for quite a night." Stefan joked as Elena laughed and pushed him off her._

 _"I'm serious, I'm so hungry…" she said as she grabbed Stefan's shirt and slipped it over her body, throwing Stefan his boxers and sweat pants too._

 _"Ok fine, I'll go grab some more wood, you can get started on dinner." He said as he slipped his clothes on. "There's a recipe open on my laptop for chicken parmesan if you want to get it up." He said as he kissed her and walked towards the door, grabbing a hoodie on the way past._

 _"Hm… my favourite" she said as she walked into the kitchen and opened Stefan's laptop that sat on the counter. She opened his browser and found the recipe, smiling at how delicious it sounded. She looked up at the tabs at the top of the page and saw that he had pages open on starting restaurants and opening cafes and sites in New York, she also saw an email from Damon saying that things were going smoothly and opening their own place should happen soon enough._

 _She heard the door open again as Stefan walked in and placed the wood on the fire; "it's starting to pour outside… did you find the recipe?" he asked._

 _"Uh… yeah, yeah I found it but uh… are you planning on moving to New York to open a restaurant?" Elena asked._

 _Stefan looked at her for a second, unsure what to say and unsure how she was feeling about this. "Uh… yeah I would like to someday… but it's just a pipe dream really." Stefan played it off._

 _"I don't know Stefan, this email from Damon seems to imply that it's pretty much a sure deal." Elena replied._

 _"You read my emails?"_

 _"You left your email up, I couldn't miss it." Elena said growing agitated as she took Stefan's shirt off and put on her own clothes._

 _"I don't know what's going to happen Elena, it's not a big deal."_

 _"Of course it's a big deal Stefan, if we're going to be together, we're going to need to talk about our future!" Elena said._

 _"I just want to enjoy a weekend away with you Elena, we don't need to make this all heavy" Stefan asked._

 _"Now you're just avoiding, why wouldn't you want to be honest with me about your future?"_

 _"Because I don't want to contemplate the thought of leaving you behind!" He shouted._

 _Elena sighed; "You can't just assume that's going to happen Stefan when we haven't even discussed it!"_

 _"I know that the school year is ending soon, I know we have a lot to talk about but it scares me."_

 _"It scares me too Stefan, but you never once shared any of this with me. You never once shared your dreams and your hopes, which is something that you should want to do with the person you love."_

 _"What did you want me to say Elena? After high school I'm moving to New York and not looking back? I'm just going to leave you here? Cause that seems to be the decision you're expecting me to make."_

 _"Whether you just leave me behind is not your decision to make!" Elena shouted._

 _"Of course it's my decision!"_

 _"You seriously think you're the one who has all the control in this relationship? You're deluded Stefan, this is a two way street, we have to talk to each other!" Elena said_

 _"Maybe I just want to save us from the inevitable."_

 _Elena froze and clenched her jaw; "and what is the inevitable for you?" she asked quietly._

 _"… that we take this year that we had together and then happily end it and move on." Stefan replied._

 _"… is that what you want?" she asked._

 _"It doesn't matter what we want…"_

 _"Oh my God you are infuriating!" Elena said as she stormed towards the door, grabbing her coat from the railing._

 _"Where are you going? There's a storm out there Elena!" Stefan said walking after her._

 _"I am not going to stand here and listen to you talk like this!" she shouted as she slammed the door behind her._

 _Stefan groaned before grabbing his coat and running out the door behind her._

 _Elena hadn't made it far down the lane as Stefan ran to catch up._

 _"Elena, come on this is ridiculous!"_

 _"I'm ridiculous?! You're the one who essentially just told me that I wasted a year of my life with you!"_

 _"That is not what I said!"_

 _"You expect us to break up Stefan, so what is even the point?!" Elena shouted as she continued to walk._

 _"Fine, call me a pessimist, but you're made for bigger and better things than me Elena, is that so hard for you to comprehend?"_

 _"NO! That is not why you said that, you said that for you, you said that to save your own skin!" she shouted over the storm as they both stood drenched in the rain. "Clearly you have a problem with commitment, clearly loving me is too damn hard"_

 _"Are you crazy?" Stefan said as he grabbed her arm and spun her around. "Loving you was the easiest thing I have ever done. There was no question in my mind about it, I have no problem committing to you."_

 _"Then what is it Stefan? Why didn't you share that stuff with me? Why are you so sure we'll end up falling apart?"_

 _"Because… because you deserve to go and find your dreams without me holding you back. You want to make a difference in people's lives, you want to help those who can't help themselves and I don't want you to miss out on all of that because my dreams are different. And I'm scared Elena… I say that it would be best for us to end it but I am so scared at the thought of losing you. I never thought it was possible to love someone as much as I love you. You're the best thing to ever happen to me and I want to reach our dreams together… I just don't know if that's fair." Stefan confessed._

 _Elena nodded softly as she felt herself become calmer; "You need to stop this self-sabotage Stefan. You are good enough for me, more than good enough, and I love you too, so damn much it hurts! The idea of the future scares me too, but we need to talk about it. I want to hear about your dreams, I want to be a part of it. Let's not think that anything is inevitable, let's take things as they come, let's deal with it together."_

 _Stefan nodded as he looked up at the sky and let the rain pour down his face. Elena smiled as the moonlight hit off him in the most captivating of ways._

 _"You know we're probably going to get a pneumonia" Stefan said._

 _Elena smiled; "I would gladly stand out here all night and risk getting a pneumonia if it meant I could hear how much you loved me."_

 _"How much I love you? I could go on all night." Stefan replied as he walked forward, cupping Elena's cheeks in her hands and kissing her with all the passion that was in him._

"I'm sorry that I never gave us the chance to discuss it together." Stefan said shamefully, knowing that he should have listened to Elena.

"It's in the past Stefan, we have moved far and beyond that. Let's have some fun this weekend." Elena replied.

* * *

Katherine stood at the kitchen window, watching as Robbie and Theo played together. The bond the uncle and nephew had even melted Katherine's heart at times, though she would never admit that.

She walked back into the living room and began looking through the bookshelves for something to read. She stopped looking when she came across a larger, tattier book, pulling it from the shelves. She smiled when she realised that it was the photo book Stefan used to keep all through high school. She opened the cover and smiled at the first photo of her, Robbie and Stefan. She was in her cheerleading uniform and the boys were in their football jerseys. It was freshman year and they just looked so happy and innocent.

Katherine heard footsteps as Robbie walked into the room.

"Theo's just washing his hands… what's this?" Robbie asked as he looked over her shoulder. "Is that Stefan's photo book? I can't believe he kept it."

"You know what Stefan's like, all these memories are too important to forget." Katherine said as she flipped over to the next page, to more photos of Stefan, Robbie and Katherine and the rest of the jocks in Mystic Falls.

"My God, look how young we look." Robbie said

"Look at this photo of Stefan and Elena… I remember sneaking a snap of this, they look so in love." Katherine commented. It had been taken at the end of year party at an old abandoned house on the edge of town and Stefan and Elena were standing in the corner, out of sight, apart from this photo. Elena was standing with one foot against the wall behind her and was playing with the bottom of her jacket, while Stefan had one hand leaning above her shoulder on the wall and both of them had the biggest smiles plastered across their faces.

"How were people so oblivious to them?"

"People were too wrapped up in themselves to notice anyone else." Robbie replied. "This photo is the strangest thing. They look so happy there, but that night… he was gone."

"Something tells me that this was his way of trying to talk his way out of it. Or at least saying goodbye without saying goodbye. Trying to leave her with some happy memories." Katherine said as she closed the book over.

"Well it worked out in the end for them…" Robbie said as Katherine put the book back in the shelf. "Do you ever think you'll get married?"

Katherine scoffed; "first I have to find someone who can keep up with how high maintenance I am… and someone who can stand me in general."

"You're a harsh critic of yourself" Robbie noted.

"Honesty is the best policy. I think I'm better single anyway, people always let you down. Stefan is probably the only person I have trusted in my life who has ever let me down. One person. Isn't that crazy?" Katherine said shaking her head, finding it quite unbelievable that she would have so few people in her life.

"Yeah it's unbelievable… it's also kinda tragic." Robbie replied.

"People always leave. I have always been alone. My parents would rather throw money at me then spend time with me, girls hate me cause I have a bit of gumption and boys think I'm worth nothing more than a one night stand. It's a tragic truth, sure, but there are bigger fish to fry in life." Katherine said. "I'll get started on lunch" she finished as she left the room, leaving Robbie alone with his thoughts.

He never thought he would see the day that he felt bad for Katherine Pierce. She always had this strong, bitchy front on. She was resilient, but it was a coping mechanism. She'd been hurt enough in her life time to know when to guard her heart. Robbie was now realising that maybe there was much more to Katherine than he originally thought.

* * *

Stefan and Elena had almost made it to the lake house and Elena was getting restless. She hated long car journeys and Stefan hated long car journeys with Elena. She fidgeted and no matter what Stefan said or did, he couldn't distract her for long enough.

"You're like a toddler when we have to go somewhere out of town you know." Stefan commented as Elena stopped tapping her nail against the door.

"What?"

"You can't sit still, you get so impatient."

"It's the excitement…"

"No, you hate sitting down doing nothing, it's impatience." Stefan insisted.

Elena glared at him; "You're lucky I love you otherwise I would smack you right now."

Before Stefan could reply, the car started making a chugging noise and slowing down. As Stefan and Elena's faces grew concerned.

"No, no, no, we can't stop now!" Elena exclaimed as the car came to a standstill.

"I don't think the car is giving us much other choice babe" Stefan replied as they unbuckled their seatbelts.

"Well fix it Mr 'I-want-to-run-a-body-shop- with-my-best-friend.'" Elena said, agitated that their journey was being prolonged.

Stefan rolled his eyes at Elena's demands before getting out of the car to inspect the damage.

15 minutes later, Stefan was hard at work trying to fix things when Elena got out of the car and began pacing behind him, not saying anything, but every now and again looking over his shoulder. A few minutes had passed and Stefan had had enough of her loitering. He sighed and put his tools down before turning around to face her with his hands on his hips.

"Are you done loitering?" He asked.

"Are you done fixing the car?" she replied.

"What you think I'm just standing here, pretending to fix the car?"

"I don't know, maybe you're just trying to bug me." Elena said with a shrug.

"Elena trust me, I want to get this car journey over with just as much as you do." Stefan insisted.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Elena said, frustrated that Stefan was growing frustrated with her.

"Elena don't pick a fight over something that's not there." Stefan said firmly.

"God, all of our trips away to the lake house are doomed, aren't they? Ever since that first fight, we're not going to be able to do anything else." Elena said running a hand across her forehead.

"Is that what all this frustration is about?" Stefan asked, wiping his hands and walking towards her. "Us fighting on holiday?"

Elena sighed and she lent against the side of the car; "ever since we brought up our last time here, I just can't stop thinking about the fights we used to have, especially before we were together. They were epic, you could write plays about our fights and we've been living in this blissful stage for the past while and I don't want anything to ruin that…" she confessed.

"Elena… we were kids back then, we didn't know what we wanted, we didn't know what it truly meant to be in love. Things are different now and I'm not saying we're going to fight but you can't just expect that of us either." Stefan said walking towards her and trapping her with his hands on either side of the door. "You frustrate the hell out of me Elena, you know you do, I'm pretty sure you do it deliberately… but I want you to frustrate the hell out of me, you wouldn't be you if you didn't and I wouldn't be me if I didn't wind you up every now and again. But we are not going to fight on our honeymoon." He insisted as he lent her forehead against hers.

"Ok… we should probably get this car going, it looks like it's about to rain." Elena said as Stefan looked up at the grey clouds.

"You know what? Rain is exactly what we need." Stefan said as he took her hand and led her away from the car.

"Where are we going?" Elena said as they started to run lightly. A few minutes later, they had made it to the spot Stefan wanted to bring her and stopped and looked around them. "This is the end of the lane leading to the lake house…" Elena said with a confused look.

"This is the spot that I finally managed to catch up to you after we had that fight about our future." Stefan said, and as if he had planned the weather, the skies opened and the heavens began to pour. "We got the worst colds from standing out her arguing!" Stefan shouted over the storm.

"And are you trying to condemn us to the same fate now?!" Elena replied.

"You said you could stand here all night if it meant hearing how much I loved you… and I also seem to recall a bucket list that you made when you were 11 years old that involved dancing in the rain." Stefan said taking her hand and spinning her around before ending with his arm around her waist, her arm on his shoulder and their other hands intertwined.

"I'm going to regret showing you that list aren't I?" Elena asked with a giggle.

"Probably…" he replied with a smirk.

"So, tell me Mr Salvatore, why do you love me?" Elena teased as they danced lightly in the rain.

"Well Mrs Salvatore, I don't really know where to begin. You have a secret love for teenage TV dramas and get so attached to the characters. You quote Shakespeare though I don't think I've ever actually seen you read anything other than a legal document or a children's bed time story. You love football but you tried to hide it from me and Robbie cause you didn't want to buy into our guy chat, you wanted to play it cool and not give me the satisfaction of loving something as much as I did when we were kids." Stefan joked as Elena rolled her eyes; "You have the biggest heart and you are always willing to help people. You have the most beautiful mind that challenges me and makes me want to be better. You frustrate the hell out of me… but I wouldn't have it any other way. I love you Elena. Always have always will." Stefan said.

Elena smiled brightly as the rain ran down their faces; "That was pretty good." She said quietly as he lent in to kiss her in the rain, like he had all those years ago.

* * *

The weekend had flown by and back at the Salvatore house, Katherine, Robbie and Theo were awaiting Elena and Stefan's return. They had managed to live in relative harmony for the weekend, but Katherine's words about always being alone and trusting no one kept ringing in Robbie's head. It saddened him that anyone should feel that way, even someone like Katherine.

Katherine was lying in bed, reading her magazine when Robbie walked into the room and lounged beside her. She looked at him with the side of her eyes as he didn't say anything, rather just played with the bottom of his t-shirt. Eventually she gave in and put her magazine down and looked at him.

"Anything I can help you with Robbie?" Katherine asked.

"What you said the other day…" he began.

"Yeah you're going to have to be a little less vague, I talk a lot." Katherine responded.

"About Stefan being the only person you can trust… you can trust me too." Robbie told her, finally looking her in the eye. "I just… I wanted you to know that. You have more people than you think Katherine. You can trust me."

Katherine merely nodded her head, unsure what to say. The doorbell rang and Katherine took that as her saving grace, not liking her moment of vulnerability. "I'll go get that." She said as she quickly departed from the room.

She bounced downstairs and opened the door to a rather glamourous, but stern looking woman, who was eyeing Katherine up and down. Katherine decided to return the favour and eyed her in typical Katherine fashion.

The woman had on a straight black dress with what looked like very expensive black heels, a white shawl over her shoulders, her hair pinned up and dark shades covering her eyes.

"Uh… can I help you?" Katherine asked.

"Yes, I was told that this was where I could find Elena Browning." The lady said as she peered over Katherine's shoulder and into the house.

"It's Elena Salvatore now and she's not here right now." Katherine said, not liking this lady one bit.

"Yes, I did hear she had remarried… When will she be back?" the lady asked, continuing to look past Katherine into the house.

"Sometime this afternoon." Katherine replied.

"Well then I'll wait for her." The lady said as she pushed passed Katherine into the house.

"Uh… I don't remember inviting you in lady." Katherine said as she turned the woman around, who had finally taken off her sunglasses.

"Oh, how rude of me not to introduce myself. I'm Eleanor Browning, Elena's… well, ex mother in law. Now where is my grandson?"

* * *

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	15. Becoming a Salvatore

**Thank you again for your lovely reviews! Hope you enjoy this chapter:)**

* * *

Half an hour after Eleanor Browning's surprise arrival to the Salvatore house, Elena and Stefan came through the front door giggling and smiling. Stefan had whispered something in Elena's year and started kissing her neck causing Elena to laugh as she playfully pushed him away. Katherine came storming into the hallway not seconds later and glared at the couple.

"Are you two incapable of answering your phones?" Katherine said snapping her fingers in front of them to draw their attention away from each other.

"Hi Stefan, Elena, so nice to have you guys back, did you have a nice weekend?" Stefan mocked as Katherine's glare became firmer.

"What's wrong Katherine?" Elena asked. "Is Theo ok?"

"Theo is fine, he is upstairs playing though I'm not sure you're going to fine with your surprise guest of today" Katherine said.

"What guest?" Elena asked.

"An ex mother in law" Katherine replied as Elena's eyes widened.

"Eleanor?"

"Last time I checked you only had one so yeah that would be her." Katherine responded sarcastically.

"What is she doing here?" Elena said, her mood instantly changing. Eleanor had never been particularly fond of Elena, and Elena felt the same about her mother in law. Eleanor thought she wasn't good enough for Clay and the pair hadn't spoken since before Clay was arrested the first time.

"She said she just wanted to see you and Theo but Robbie and I wouldn't let her see Theo without your approval, hence the 30 missed phone calls you will see on your phone." Katherine responded. "Look, Robbie's upstairs with Theo now, you guys go deal with her, we'll keep Theo upstairs. Just let us know if you need back up." Katherine finished as she walked upstairs.

Elena looked at Stefan with worry in her eyes.

"You're worried" Stefan stated.

"Yeah... Eleanor never just shows up, she always has another agenda. She's probably here to throttle me for getting Clay's ass busted."

"Surely she wouldn't be behind Clay after all that he did?" Stefan asked in disbelief.

"You always thought that my dad was protective over me, but Eleanor is a whole other level." Elena said.

"I didn't think there was a level above Grayson... do you remember that time he caught me climbing down your drain pipe and invited me in for a drink?" Stefan asked as Elena covered her face in embarrassment.

 _11 years ago_

 _"You really- have to- go" Elena said in between kisses as she pushed Stefan towards the balcony doors of her bedroom. They had been together for a few weeks now and were still revelling in all the sneaking around._

 _"Boy do I feel used right now" Stefan said as he stole one last kiss and opened the door._

 _"My parents will be coming up to bed any minute and if they hear you-" Elena began._

 _"I got it Gilbert, don't worry. This whole sneaking around thing is super sexy..." he said coming back through the door and pulling her closer to him._

 _"Stefan I'm serious!" Elena said laughing lightly as she pushed him away; "Goodnight." she said with a smirk as she closed the door behind him._

 _Stefan shook his head and smiled. What was this girl doing to him? He turned and climbed over the railing, down the drain pipes, landing on the back porch. He fixed his jumper and was about to walk off when he heard the back door open. He turned around and froze like a deer caught in headlights, unsure what his next move shall be._

 _"...Stefan"_

 _"... Mr Gilbert" Stefan said with an awkward smile, greeting Grayson. "I was just-" he began, desperately trying to find a reason to explain why he was climbing down from Elena's room._

 _"Why don't you come inside for a drink?" Grayson suggested, as he moved out of the way of the door to allow Stefan in._

 _Stefan stood there for a moment, not sure that he was prepared for what was about to come. He slowly nodded, realising it would be better for him to just say yes, and he walked into the Gilbert's kitchen._

 _Grayson led Stefan into the good room and poured him a drink._

 _"If you and Robbie are as alike as I think you are, then I know you'll appreciate a good bourbon." Grayson said as he handed him the glass._

 _"I'm only 18 sir..." Stefan said with a gulp._

 _"One drink won't kill you." Grayson said, as Stefan took the glass, but with no intention of drinking it. Grayson was probably testing him._

 _"So Stefan... I always thought of you as Robbie's best friend. It never crossed my mind that I would have to think of you as my daughter's boyfriend." Grayson said._

 _"Uh..." Stefan said, unsure where to go next._

 _"I like you Stefan. I do. I think you're a good kid. You're a good friend to Robbie and I've noticed you watch over Katherine Pierce like a sister. She needs that in her life, I've known her parents a long time and I know they'd rather throw money at her and send her on her way than show her any other kind of support." Grayson commented._

 _"Katherine's a great girl, she deserves to know that." Stefan confirmed._

 _"Yeah... you're great with all the people in your life. I know that. But this is my daughter we're talking about. I need to be sure she's being treated like she deserves to be treated because she deserves the world." Grayson said._

 _"Sir, believe me, I know she deserves the world and I want to give that to her... I've never felt this way about someone before Mr Gilbert. I would never dream of hurting her."_

 _"I believe you Stefan. But sometimes life has other plans for us. I am always going to be protective over Elena, but I also trust her judgement, so if she is happy, then I'm going to let her be happy." Grayson said as he took a step forward; "but if you so step out of line once... or if you break my guttering climbing down it... I won't be so nice about this."_

 _"Yes sir" Stefan said with a small smile._

 _"No drink that bourbon, I'm not trying to trick you" Grayson said as he downed his drink._

 _"I'm driving sir" Stefan said as he handed the glass back to him._

 _"Very well then... I trust you'll be able to find the front door? I know it's not your usual mode of entrance." Grayson joked._

 _Stefan smirked; "I'll find it sir."_

 _Before he could turn around, they heard footsteps coming down the stairs. They both turned around and saw Elena, who stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Stefan standing with her dad._

 _"Stefan... hi... what are you doing here?" Elena asked._

 _"... Nothing, I was just leaving. Goodnight Mr Gilbert... Elena." Stefan said as he left._

 _"Daddy what-" Elena began once she heard the front door close._

 _"Don't worry honey, I was just warning him that if he breaks my guttering he's in for some trouble." Grayson said giving Elena a knowing look._

 _"I-" Elena began._

 _"It's ok... your secret is safe with me. I wouldn't want everyone prying in on my business either." Grayson said as he walked towards Elena and gave her a kiss on the head. "Goodnight honey"_

 _Elena stood there dumbfounded. Was her dad cool or what?_

"As embarrassing as that was... he could have been a lot meaner." Elena said to Stefan as she tried to peak into the living room at Eleanor.

"Your dad loves me... but I was kinda scared of him. Very passive aggressive." Stefan said.

"Well Eleanor is just straight out aggressive and never has been my biggest fan. I was never good enough for her little Clayton. What could she want with me, I'm not a part of their family anymore." Elena said.

"I don't know. But I will be with you the whole time. We're a team, you don't have to worry." Stefan assured her as he pulled her into his side and kissed her head.

"Yeah... let's do this." Elena said boldly as she walked into the living room with Stefan close behind.

Eleanor was standing by the fireplace looking at the ornaments and photos when she turned her head to see Elena and Stefan.

"Ah, you're finally home." Eleanor commented. "Hello Elena."

"Eleanor. This is an... unexpected visit." Elena said, keeping her distance from Eleanor.

"I wanted to see my grandson. You wouldn't deny me that would you?" Eleanor asked.

"... Of course not. A little warning would be nice though." Elena said through her teeth.

"Right... this must be the new husband. You certainly didn't waste any time Elena." Eleanor commented as she looked Stefan up and down.

"Yeah well I wouldn't really call what I had with Clay a marriage, more like a crappy business deal." Elena said as she folded her arms.

"Well you certainly do like a man with money, this house is spectacular if not a little medieval. What did you say your name was?" Eleanor said looking to Stefan.

"I didn't. It's Stefan Salvatore." Stefan responded.

"Ah yes I remember the Salvatore's now. So sorry to hear about your parents." Eleanor said.

"Uh... thanks." Stefan replied, unsure what to make of the woman's condolences.

"This house has a lot of Salvatore history, so I think we'll be keeping as much of the medieval theme as possible." Elena said. "Have you been to see Lincoln yet? I mean, that's me assuming why you're here, because you didn't bother to come see him when he was actually shot by his own brother?" Elena shot at Eleanor.

Eleanor stuck her nose in the air; "Lincoln insisted he was in good hands, his father and I were too busy trying to clean up some of the mess Clay made, Lincoln knew that... and of course I am here to see him."

"Here's hoping he'll actually want to see you and I really don't know how you could possibly cover up all that Clay did." Elena said.

"The Brownings are masters of damage control. Speaking of Brownings, I have yet to see my grandson." Eleanor said growing more and more impatient.

"He's busy." Elena said walking closer to Eleanor. "I trust you won't let the door hit you on the way out."

Eleanor scoffed; "you can't keep me from seeing my grandson Elena. He is a Browning, my flesh and blood."

"I'm his mother, I call the shots."

"The Browning name calls the shots." Eleanor replied without a second of hesitation.

"... is that why you're here? To take Theo and groom him to be the next Clayton Browning? I don't think so, he will have nothing to do with the Browning name or their business, he was made for bigger and better things than the toxic environment you raised your sons in. Lincoln was lucky enough to be considered a disappointment by you, wish the same could be said for Clay and George." Elena said, mentioning the eldest of the Browning brothers. "What is George going to do now he doesn't have Clay to do his dirty work for him?" Elena asked.

"You think George was behind all of Clay's mistakes?" Eleanor asked before laughing; "George is an honest and decent business man, he is keeping our banking empire a float."

"There's only so long you're going to be able to keep your family afloat Eleanor. It's only a matter of time before someone screws up like Clay did and your whole world comes crashing down." Elena said quietly.

Eleanor stiffened her posture and lifted her bag from the chair beside her. "Just remember Elena... your son also bears that terrible name and it would be terrible for his future to be dragged through the mud along with us." she said as she walked towards the door; "With that in mind, I suspect you'll now maybe want to do whatever we tell you do to... if you want Theo to have any future prospects. I'll be back tomorrow, give you a chance to mull things over. Wonderful to meet you Stefan... Elena."

Eleanor left the house leaving Stefan and Elena in a stoney silence.

"Elena-" Stefan began.

"Don't." Elena interrupted. "I- I don't know what to say or think I- he's not even 6 yet. My son is a little kid and his grandmother is threatening his future all because of a stupid name." Elena said. "I know he can be greater than that name Stefan. He will always know he can be greater than that name... but I never want him to have to try and be better than it."

Stefan immediately walked towards Elena and cupped her cheeks in his hands as her tears threatened to fall.

"Hey... Theo is going to go places because of who he is not because of some name on a birth certificate." Stefan assured her.

"I know, I know I just... I meant what I said Stefan. The Browning Empire is going to crash and burn especially now that George doesn't have Clay to hide behind. He's a weasel, he has no idea what he's doing, he's going to screw up, potentially even more than Clay already has. I can't have them dragging Theo down with them." Elena said.

"... then we change his name." Stefan said, as if a light bulb had gone off in his head.

"What?"

"We change his name... Elena, I would want nothing more than to make Theo officially ours. Let me adopt him."

"Stefan I-"

"You know I already love him like he's my own, let's just get in writing, let's make him a Salvatore, get him out of that toxic environment. Family is about a whole lot more than blood. Let me adopt him"

"Stefan I want nothing more than for Theo to be a Salvatore but Eleanor will do everything she can to stop that from happening." Elena said.

"No, you are Theo's mother, you call the shots, Clay has zero rights when it comes to him, how could Eleanor possibly have any?" Stefan said seriously. They stood in silence for a moment before Stefan smiled.

"Why are you smiling?"

"This is an amazing thing Elena... being able to call Theo my own. Everything else aside. We'll be the family unit Theo deserves." Stefan said, causing Elena to smile after him.

"I love you" Elena said with a real sincerity and passion in her voice.

"God I love you too" he said as he lifted her and hugged her close.

"That's strange, I don't think a visit from Eleanor Browning has had that affect on anyone... ever." They heard a voice behind them say as they turned around and saw Lincoln.

"Linc, hey" Elena said.

"Hey, welcome back... so where is the wicked witch of the west?" Lincoln asked with a smirk.

* * *

Lincoln through the park on the edge of town looking for his mother. He had tried all the usual spots people tended to go while here, but he suspected his mother wouldn't be caught dead in any of them. Mystic Falls had been her home once upon a time, where her boys were born and raised, right before the Browning banking industry really took off and they relocated to Richmond. Now, the place was entirely beneath her, and she happily stuck her nose up at it.

He made his way to the edge of the park when he finally spotted her, sitting on a bench, staring at her phone from a long distance in typical mom style. He sighed, not sure he was prepared for seeing her right now.

Lincoln sat beside her on the bench and turned his head to look at her; "Hi mommy" he mocked.

"Lincoln, honey, I've been looking for you." Eleanor said as she jumped slightly in her seat.

"It sure has taken you a long time, I did get shot what, 4 weeks ago?" Lincoln mocked further.

"Enough with that attitude Lincoln it does not serve you well." Eleanor warned.

"Yeah I really shouldn't have this attitude right now, I mean it's totally normal for a mother not to visit her son after he was shot. Then again... I was shot by your golden boy, so no guesses whose side you took."

"I was not on Clayton's side." Eleanor shot with no hesitation. "I was trying to clean up his mess, I was trying to save this family."

"There is a time and a place mother. A time and a place." Lincoln replied to which Eleanor decided to bite her tongue. "You know it happened right over there on that patch of grass." Lincoln said pointing to the place he was shot. "I reckon he was actually hiding in these bushes behind us."

Eleanor shifted in her seat, beginning to feel uncomfortable.

"Yeah I feel just as uncomfortable as you right now, I mean my own brother shot me!" Lincoln said with a little laugh. "Thank God for Elena though. Clay was aiming for her sister, she had divorced the bastard yet she still let me stay in her house, she still looked after me when my own mother couldn't even muster a phone call!"

"That's enough! If you're just going to sit here and berate me for all my failings as a mother you can stop that right now."

"I don't really feel like giving you a free pass on this one, especially since you're here trying to cause trouble for Elena." Lincoln said standing up to face his mother.

Eleanor soon stood up too, not liking anyone standing above her. "I am here for Theo. He is a Browning, he has a name he will one day have to represent!"

"Theo is as much a Browning as I am a Browning. We may have Browning blood in our system but we are not one of you. We are not parasites, sucking the life out of everyone who comes into contact with us. Clay has no hold on Theo, just like you and dad have no hold on me. You need to let that kid go, you need to let him live how Elena and Stefan see fit, they are his parents." Lincoln warned.

"Like hell. I will do right by that boy."

"You will only ruin him like you ruined Clay and how you'll probably ruin George, but right now, he's too much of a weasel to see it. The best thing you ever did for me, was tell me that I was a disappointment to the Browning name. It made it so much easier to tell dad to stick is offer of me running the bank up his ass. I got out, Elena got out and with Gilbert blood in his system, Theo would be smart enough to get out too, so I wouldn't even waste your time."

"You would really turn your back on your family like this Lincoln? Where is your loyalty?"

"My loyalty is with Elena. And Theo. And Stefan, and Averie and Robbie and Jeremy and Bonnie and Caroline and Matt and hell, even Katherine freakin Pierce! They are my family. Not that you would even know the definition of that." Lincoln said as he began to back away. "You know mom, if you ever come to your senses and want to admit that you're wrong and want to say that you're sorry, please, call me, I would want nothing more than for you to be my mother for once but right now? I can't even look at you. Stay away from Theo and stay away from Elena." he finished as he turned around and walked away, leaving Eleanor dumbfounded.

* * *

The following day after spending all night looking into Stefan adopting Theo, Elena and Stefan realised that it could be done simply and easily, and they were more than happy to go ahead with it, but they didn't want to do anything without discussing it with Theo first.

Elena and Stefan walked into his room just before lunch and saw him playing with his cars, running them all around the room.

"Hey honey, you having fun?" Elena asked as she and Stefan smiled down at him.

"Yeah! This new car you got me is amazing!" Theo said excitedly.

"We're glad you like it... Theo do you mind if Stefan and I talk to you about something?" Elena asked as Theo stopped playing.

"You have your serious voice on... am I in trouble?" Theo asked.

"No buddy, you're not a in trouble" Stefan said with a light laugh as Theo jumped onto the bed and Elena and Stefan sat either side of him.

"So Theo... Stefan and I were having a chat and we had an idea but we wanted to run it by your first." Elena said as Theo nodded his head. "We were wondering, if you would be ok if Stefan adopted you."

Theo furrowed his eyebrows; "what does that mean?" he asked.

"Well..." Stefan began; ". It means that you can change your name from Browning to Salvatore so you, me and mommy will all be Salvatores. But most importantly... it means that you can call me dad."

Theo's face lit up; "Really? You'll be my dad?"

"Officially yeah, but I will always be your dad either way you know that right?" Stefan asked, not wanting Theo to think any less of their relationship now.

"Yeah I understand... so I'll be Theo Salvatore and you'll be my mommy and you'll be my daddy?" Theo asked.

"Yeah honey that's right" Elena said running her hand through his hair "You will have a mommy and a daddy who love you very much."

"I want to do it!" Theo said excitedly.

"Yeah?" Stefan asked.

"Yeah dad!" he said happily as Elena and Stefan smiled bigger than they ever thought they had.

"Dad..." Stefan mumbled. "Then it's settled. You're going to be a Salvatore."

"I can't wait to tell Uncle RobRob and Auntie Kat, they're going to be so excited!" Theo said as he jumped off the bed and ran out the door.

Elena and Stefan laughed before leaning their heads against the headboard.

"He called me dad" Stefan said in a happy whisper.

"That's because you're the best dad he has ever known and you always will be whether it's on paper or not." Elena said.

"We're really going to do this."

"Yeah... let's go get Theo adopted."

A few moments later, Elena and Stefan had made their way downstairs, where they saw Theo happily telling Katherine and Robbie about becoming a Salvatore, and their faces were as lit up as his was.

"I guess you've heard the news." Elena said.

"Uh, yeah!" Katherine said as she walked over to Stefan and Elena and hugged them. "This is amazing news guys, I always knew Stefan would make a wonderful dad." Katherine said as Stefan wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"And I always knew you would make the perfect parents together." Robbie said as he kissed Elena's cheek and shook Robbie's hand.

Their happiness was soon dashed when the front door burst open and Eleanor paraded in.

"Well, are you going to let me see my grandson yet?" Eleanor asked. As she looked around her, she saw Theo standing behind the adults, looking slightly afraid. He had never been a fan of his Grandma and Grandpa Browning. They were to serious and stern looking. "Oh there you are Theo."

"Hello" Theo said quietly.

"Hey Theo, why don't we go get some lunch?" Katherine said as Robbie lifted him up and the three left the room.

"Well you all looked rather happy before I entered the room, something I should know?" Eleanor asked.

"Yes actually..." Elena said as she crossed her arms. "We're not going to have to worry about Theo's affiliation with the Browning's anymore because... well... he isn't going to be one."

"Excuse me?"

"I am officially adopting Theo" Stefan said as he wrapped his arm around Elena's waist from behind. "Since Clay has no parental rights, it's not going to be an issue. He's going to be a Salvatore now. Always and forever."

Eleanor scoffed; "You can't do that."

"Oh I think we can. Maybe if Clay had given a crap about his son in the first place, we wouldn't be in this position. So good luck with the future of the Browning Empire Eleanor. You're going to need it." Elena said with a satisfied smirk.

"You think you'll get away with this..."

"There's nothing to get away with." Stefan assured her. "It's a legitimate and a happy proceeding."

"I guess that means we're finally done with the Brownings. It was... I wish I could say nice knowing you Eleanor but I wouldn't want to lie. As I said yesterday... don't let the door hit you on the way out."

Eleanor's face was like thunder, but even she knew when she was fighting a losing battle. She turned on her heel and stormed out of the house with her nose turned up. Ridding Elena of the Brownings for good.

A few weeks later, the adoption was official, Theo was now a Salvatore and excited that for the first time in his life, he had someone to love and happily call dad.

* * *

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	16. Epilogue

**Hi everyone! Sorry for the incredibly late update... I got really into writing some other stories and I was struggling to think of where I could go with this one, so I decided that I wanted to wrap it up for you guys and give you an epilogue. It's super short but maybe it will wet your appetite for something more. I'm definitely not ruling out writing more about this TVD world, so if you guys are interested, you can let me know in the reviews!**

 **Thank you to everyone who reviewed/followed/favourited. I hope you enjoy this last installment!**

* * *

 **EPILOGUE**

"She's so tiny" Robbie said as he, Katherine, Elena and Stefan peered into the crib.

"I know. I don't think Theo was ever this tiny" Elena commented.

"I'm scared if I lift her she'll break." Stefan added.

"Babies are virtually indestructible, they were made that way for a reason." Katherine piped in.

"Look at her little clenched up fists... she's going to be so badass." Robbie said.

"Just like her momma" Stefan said as he broke up the staring and lifted the tiny baby up.

A year had passed since the horror story that was Clay and all the remaining Salvatores, Gilberts, Pierces and Brownings were doing well.

Piero and Alessandra had bought an adorable little cottage not to far from the Salvatore house and were happily nestling in a place smaller than New York City. They still liked to travel there though, as Damon was still living there and keeping the Salvatore restaurants and cafes up and running. Stefan also made good of the deal with his nonna that he would be the first person she would dine there with.

Averie and Lincoln still managed to find a way to be at each other's throats, but everyone knew that they couldn't be without each other. After a serious of bad dates and a ridiculously jealous Lincoln, Averie gave in and admitted her feelings for him and they became happier than ever.

Katherine and Robbie... now that is a pairing no one expected. It all started as innocent hook ups that no one knew about. No one could have guessed either as they spent the majority of their time together winding each other up and acting repulsed by each other. The secret was eventually out when Theo caught them in the closet one night. After some tactile pleading, Robbie finally convinced Katherine to go on a date with him and they've been crazy about each other ever since. Though they would never let anyone know that. But unknown to Katherine, Robbie is planning on proposing... tonight.

As suspected, Elena and Stefan were more in love than ever. A few months after Stefan officially adopted Theo, they decided to try for a baby, and it all happened so fast from there. Isabella Alessandra Miranda Salvatore was born happy and healthy and now at only 5 weeks old, she had everyone around her wrapped around her little finger. Theo was the most doting big brother and was already planning all that they could do together when she was big enough.

"She is just so cute!" Katherine said as she ran her finger down the side of the baby's cheek.

"My God, Katherine Pierce actually showing another emotion other than distain." Robbie teased as Katherine glared and punched him in the stomach.

"Guess who's not getting any tonight..." Katherine said as she walked away.

Robbie smirked and turned to Stefan and Elena; "Something tells me she'll change her tune when she sees the rock I'm about to plant on her finger." He said before walking out of the room too.

"Robbie asked me if we could have the engagement party at the restaurant if that's ok?" Elena asked Stefan as she gazed down at the little girl in his arms. She was the spitting image of Elena apart from her eyes. They were the most captivating emerald green, something that was unusual in newborns.

"Yeah of course that's ok" Stefan confirmed. After Katherine and Robbie scouted out the location for a new Salvatore's, things took off quickly from there and people loved what the restaurant was bringing to the town. It was a hit and Stefan couldn't be happier running the business that he loved in the town that he loved with the people that he loved. While Elena still thrived in her law firm, she loved coming and helping out at the weekends. The restaurant had a wonderful atmosphere.

"Though it is entirely dependent on her saying yes" Stefan added.

"She is going to say yes and you know it" Elena said.

"I know... Katherine likes to pretend she doesn't care but I think she might be one of the most caring people I know. She's crazy about him."

"Did you ever in a million years think that your best friends would get married?" Elena asked.

"Nope. But I'm really happy for them."

Before they could say anything else, Theo came running into the room; "Is she awake yet? Please tell me she's awake!"

"Not yet bud, she's just drifting off to sleep again" Stefan told him as he put Isabella back in her crib.

"Oh" Theo said as he slumped down in the arm chair beside her crib. "I need to be the first one to make her laugh, I know I can do it!"

Elena and Stefan chuckled; "We know you can honey, you just got to let her get a little bigger. But you are a wonderful big brother, I know Izzy can't wait to play with you" Elena assured him as she kissed his head.

"OK... dad, can we go play some soccer outside with Uncle Robbie?" Theo asked Stefan.

"Sure bud, let's go" Stefan said as he threw Theo over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and left the room.

"Hey Stef?" Elena called after him as he turned around. "I love you"

Stefan smiled; "I love you more"

Elena smiled as her boys left, then turned to the sleeping baby in the crib.

"Hey baby girl... you are so beautiful and momma is so happy that you're here... it took daddy and I a while to get to where we wanted to be but... people that are meant to be together always find their way in the end. You are so loved Isabella Salvatore and you have a whole world of happiness and joy awaiting you when you awaken those beautiful green eyes... goodnight my sweet girl... momma loves you."

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